I’ll Take My Chances With The Traffic, Thank You
I fell off again this morning - that’s TWICE this week. A bit of a bash on the shin, and the remains of my self-respect, dignity and pride in tatters. Here’s what happened . . .
It wasn’t too cold last night, but just as I was leaving home, the heavens opened for one of those short, sharp showers that weather forecasters like to talk about. It was a good wintery shower too - a mix of rain, sleet and hail all at the same time. But it stopped almost as soon as it started - certainly before I’d done more than a couple of miles.
As I got to the roundabout that’s the junction between Wagon Way (A193) and Hadrian Road (A187), I figured that I really couldn’t be bothered with the traffic lights at the road works. And seeing as it was sort of warm, I was sure that the cycle path would be ice free . . .
Geography & Climate 1.01: I live right next to the sea, so I experience a maritime micro-climate. As you go inland, the temperature-buffering effect of the sea decreases. So in summer, it’s noticeably warmer just a few miles inland, while in winter, it gets colder the further you get from the coast.
The path looked like it had just had some sleet fall on it, but I could tell something was wrong pretty soon after joining it. Within the first hundred yards, there are a couple of sweeping bends under the trees, and even taking it really easy, the back wheel tried to skip out. Then as I came onto the straight in the open, it did it again.
I tried to correct by steering into the skid. The front wheel gave a little slither, but the bike stayed upright. Then it happened again, and I wasn’t so lucky. The bike just slipped out from under me, bashing my right shin on the way past. I didn’t fall over . . . as I’d been prepared, and got both feet down as the bike got away from me.
Turns out that what I’d taken for a bit of a sleety surface on the path was actually black ice. The shower that’d fallen as I set off from home had passed this way, and being just that little bit further inland, the ground was cold enough to freeze it. There was no way I was going to ride on this surface, so I gingerly started pushing my bike along the path, heading for the next exit back to the road.
If you’ve seen “The Transporter 2″, you might think that the cleats on cycle shoes would afford some grip on this sort of surface. Don’t believe a word of it - they don’t. I eventually got back to the road by walking my bike along the grass at the edge of the path.
So from now on, I’m staying on the roads during winter. If the cycle paths aren’t gritted and salted, they’re just not worth the risk.
Which is a shame, ‘cos given the choice of a smooth, tree-lined, car-free route, or having to constantly use the “Don’t even think about it, buster” look on drivers, I know what I’d want to choose every time. 
Workout:
- Type: Cycle
- Date: 12/11/2008
- Time: 14:12:50
- Total Time: 00:35:00.00
- Calories: 456
- Distance: 8.5 miles
- Average Speed: 14.57 mph
Sorry to hear you have fallen again. It’s painful, annoying, and exactly the sort of thing that stops cycling being taken seriously
It’s a good example of cycling not being taken seriously, and makes a mockery of anyone trying to promote cycling as a reasonable form of transport for the masses. Turning up at work with a big damp patch down one side does nothing for the image of cycling.
However, it’s something that it at the very least is much less common over here due to the gritting of cycle paths. There are photos showing how Dutch people are happy to cycle in the snow one handed because they are confidence that they won’t fall.
Cycling for everyday journeys must be a normal activity and not seen as an extreme sport.
Sorry to hear about your slip. I hope the injury’s not too bad.
Lol, I also watched the film Transporter the other night - it was on ITV2 or something! I was quite enjoying up until the bit with the oil and bike cleats - it got a bit silly at that point!
I went for a run on a country road yesterday and had to watch out for the ice, very slippy. I’m looking forward to getting a bike soon, I live in an area which has some nice long flat country roads. I just hope that they grit them.
I see where you’re going wrong; it was flat pedals with toe clips that he used in the film, not clipless pedals
I took the decision to ride on the road this morning as well (and several other days recently), even braving Darlington’s inner ring-road rather than using the tucan crossing.
I could tell it was black ice before you mention it. I grew up in SE Washington state and I am all too familiar with ‘cars’ and black ice. This is the first occurrance I’ve heard of a ‘bike’ and black ice. LOL.
Glad you are ok, other than the little dent in your pride
Happy training!
[...] embarrassing myself this morning, I was in no mood for an involuntary dismount again this evening - there’s only so much [...]