The Fall

On Saturday, our team had a captain's ride led by captain Tony. It was scheduled as a 35 mile ride starting at Hap McGee Ranch Park in Alamo and then winding our way throughout the communities of Diablo, Blackhawk and Danville. This was also my first "real" ride on my bike---up until this point, I have only been riding on the trainer, in the confines of my neighborhood and practicing turns in a high school parking lot. Now is my "big girl" moment on the streets. Yes, I was very nervous and apprehensive, but also very eager to take on the challenge.

Despite this being a holiday weekend, there was a good turnout for the ride. Once the superfast cyclists (i.e. Chris & Phil) took off---I rode with my posse--Cori, Tiffany and Helen. Helen is our team's webcaptain and has completed several Tri and Iron events. She brought up the rear and provided excellent guidance on gear shifting, road etiquette and safety tips on going downhill.

However, despite the beautiful, cool sunny morning, it was also extremely windy. I later learned that gusts were clocked around 40-50 mph. At times during the ride, I had the "death grip" on my handle bars and really had a difficult time controlling the bike as to not being blown off the road. There were stretches of road adjacent to meadows and pastures (with cows) where the winds were extremely fierce. I just kept pedaling and hoped for the best. Breathe in---breathe out---mind over matter....trying not to freak out. There were moments when I could have run faster and it was tempting to simply get off the bike and walk. Flashes of the movie "Twister" came to mind---whirling debris, tumbleweeds and sh_t just flying all over the place. Several realtor signs were blown over and a few speed limit signs were dangling loosely from their posts.

Captain Tony provide roving SAG support and turned us around at Highland. I breathed an inner sigh of relief, because Highland is all open road with no buildings to block the wind. The ride ended up being approximately 26 miles instead of 35, but since it was my first road experience I had absolutely no complaints about cutting it short. Even with the wind conditions, the ride was exhilerating! During the 2.5 hours or so, I had overcome many of my inner fears about riding. And yes, I had my first fall. It was rather anti-climatic---no, I was not blown off the road and into a field of wild animals...are there wild animals in Danville??? I digress....

What simply happened was that the gals and I were stopped at a red light. I had already unclipped one foot from my bike, but for some reason, I leaned to the other side and yes, gravity took over and down I went. I remember thinking "I'm totally screwed" moments before hitting the ground. Nothing broken, only one scrapped elbow and a couple of bruises. I was startled more than anything else. Helen, Cori & Tiffany were quite supportive and congratulated me on my first fall---now I'm initiated!

Renactment of "The Fall"