Irishrich
Über Member
- Location
- Northern Ireland
All over the Christmas holidays I've been itching to get out on the bike as it's the only time I've had during daytime to get out as I'm off work and don't fancy night cycling. Every club ride has been cancelled lately due to poor weather, gale force winds etc so this morning I set off from my house to join the club ride 5 miles away knowing that the forecast gave dry and bright till noon. As soon as I took the bike outside my front door I felt uneasy as the driveway and surrounding pavements were like a sheet of ice. I told myself that the forecast was for a dry and sunny day so the main roads would be fine as they would have been gritted and well driven on by now. I proceeded to gingerly cycle down the little slope from my house to the bottom of our housing development only to realise that I couldn't turn at the bottom and felt the bike slide away from underneath me. I slammed hard into the tarmac with my upper thigh taking most of the impact. I quickly got up and walked to the main road hoping no one saw me. I should have went home as I was already in pain but decided that the main roads were ok and I wanted to get some miles done as I hadn't been on the bike in 3 weeks.
I made it 5 miles to just before the club meeting point but as I was running late I cut through a housing estate and bang, I fell off hard onto the tarmac as soon as I entered the estate, no grip whatsoever. I was almost crying with pain as I landed on the exact same part of my thigh as the first fall but I made it to the club meet only to find no one was there. I assumed they were sensible and didn't attempt to go cycling today but later found out that I turned up too late and they had gone. All that effort for nothing and I had to cycle home as my wife was away and I couldn't get a lift home. I had to walk the last half mile home as my leg was in agony and I used the bike as a crutch to lean on till I stumbled through the front door. 5 hours in A&E later I am thankful to be told that I haven't broken anything but have damaged muscle and tissue which will heal in a couple of weeks. I've learnt a lesson not to be too eager to cycle in poor weather conditions to make up for time away from the bike. I've forced myself to be off the bike another few weeks for my stupidity while I recover. As a relative newbie to cycling these lessons come hard and fast but at least I won't repeat the same mistakes again.
I made it 5 miles to just before the club meeting point but as I was running late I cut through a housing estate and bang, I fell off hard onto the tarmac as soon as I entered the estate, no grip whatsoever. I was almost crying with pain as I landed on the exact same part of my thigh as the first fall but I made it to the club meet only to find no one was there. I assumed they were sensible and didn't attempt to go cycling today but later found out that I turned up too late and they had gone. All that effort for nothing and I had to cycle home as my wife was away and I couldn't get a lift home. I had to walk the last half mile home as my leg was in agony and I used the bike as a crutch to lean on till I stumbled through the front door. 5 hours in A&E later I am thankful to be told that I haven't broken anything but have damaged muscle and tissue which will heal in a couple of weeks. I've learnt a lesson not to be too eager to cycle in poor weather conditions to make up for time away from the bike. I've forced myself to be off the bike another few weeks for my stupidity while I recover. As a relative newbie to cycling these lessons come hard and fast but at least I won't repeat the same mistakes again.
We had 2 fallers yesterday with 1 requiring a new helmet and they both rode home 
