Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
....I was 16, free, and in France with some mates from skool. We were staying a YH which was on top of a hill jus toutside of the village. The hostel itself was in what reminded me of a small castle keep with a courtyard and an outer wall. In the wall was a gate which hada sharp right turn down to th epath that led to the road which came down around the hill and th ehostel to the village below.
The three of us had had dinner and some beers...and got this urge to drinkl red wine...as you do....it was Martins turn to go and get supplies, so he jumped onto his bike (half cut) and free wheeled down and across the courtyard and through the gate pretty fast.....BUT as he go the th egate he forgot the sharpe right turn to pick up the path and went flying over the edge and dropped about 8feet down onto the road beneath!! We jumped up laughing out heads off, and ran to the gate and looked down the drop to see Martin lying in the middle of the road, a nasty gash on his leg and his front wheel completly mangled....we stopped laughing pretty quick 'cos he wasn't moving....at that point a French bloke in a white olf renault van drove around the corner slowed down as he saw Martin motionless in the middle of the road....wound down his window...looked out at Martin as he passed him by cursing in French...(something to do with 'Bloody tourist cyclists thinking they own the road I would guess)...
....Martin came to and all was well, the cut looke dworse than it was, and the LBS in the village sorted out his wheel.
...I'll never forget the sight of th ebike and Martin flying off that edge and th esound as he hit the road below! We were pissing ourselves for weeks afterwards....he was lucky though ...in those days we didnt have hats .
The three of us had had dinner and some beers...and got this urge to drinkl red wine...as you do....it was Martins turn to go and get supplies, so he jumped onto his bike (half cut) and free wheeled down and across the courtyard and through the gate pretty fast.....BUT as he go the th egate he forgot the sharpe right turn to pick up the path and went flying over the edge and dropped about 8feet down onto the road beneath!! We jumped up laughing out heads off, and ran to the gate and looked down the drop to see Martin lying in the middle of the road, a nasty gash on his leg and his front wheel completly mangled....we stopped laughing pretty quick 'cos he wasn't moving....at that point a French bloke in a white olf renault van drove around the corner slowed down as he saw Martin motionless in the middle of the road....wound down his window...looked out at Martin as he passed him by cursing in French...(something to do with 'Bloody tourist cyclists thinking they own the road I would guess)...
....Martin came to and all was well, the cut looke dworse than it was, and the LBS in the village sorted out his wheel.
...I'll never forget the sight of th ebike and Martin flying off that edge and th esound as he hit the road below! We were pissing ourselves for weeks afterwards....he was lucky though ...in those days we didnt have hats .