Roadie Down

So after adding a road bike to the stable a couple years ago, I guess I've been pretty lucky. Not so yesterday...

Left the house and headed toward Dana Point. Looking at a short ride because I got a late start and I had less than two hours before sunset. I hit the Doheny section headed south from the San Juan Creek trail. If I didn't understand it already, I got a reinforcement of why the Strava segments along here have names like "Knucklehead Path" and "Dodge the Tourists". Passing a girl on a cruiser, I give my usual "How's it going" warning... apparently not loud enough. She picks that moment to make a left-hand U-turn. Despite the fact that I saw it coming a mile away, there wasn't a thing I could do. Grabbed every bit of brake I could and moved right as quickly as I could, but neither was enough, and I hit her bike somewhere around the rear wheel. Superman impression ensues - full on somersault-with-a-right-twist over the bars, hit the pavement and roll.

I sat there for a moment trying to figure out which bones were broken. And realized nothing hurt. Despite the fact that the smallest of unintentional dismounts off the MTB leaves me bruised or bloodied or both, I barely had a scratch. A tiny patch of skin off my elbow - not even enough to draw blood - and a bit of soreness on my hip were it. Well, the front wheel is surely tacoed, at the very least, I thought. Nope, everything on the bike was absolutely fine. I politely (surprisingly so) suggested she might want to look over her shoulder in the future before pulling a U-turn. She apologized, I apologized for not warning her loudly enough and not being able to stop or miss her and we went on our way.

I really don't know how neither the bike nor I was hurt, but I got in another 20 miles after that. I should have stopped at a store and bought a lottery ticket.

 

Haaaa-whewie!
Moving trail features are always unpredictable. At least this time it wasn't a several thousand pound vehicle to superman over. The experienced tuck and roll must have saved yah! Good on that!

 

Was she hot?

I'm glad you weren't hurt and were able to finish your ride.