Monday, July 22, 2013

Gravity Sucks

Crashing.  Falling off.  Sliding Out.  Biffing. Over the Bars.  How many ways can you think of to unexpectedly exit your Mountain Bike?

It all Hurts.  Some of those versions more than others.

For some reason,  it seems that gravity has been a bit on the "high" side in the last few weeks.     Well,  maybe just for me.  Your results may vary.  No warranty expressed or implied.   Nothing TOO serious for myself or the others around me who have been subject to "Gravity Gusts" lately.  Just the garden variety mountain bike fall down go boom kind of stuff.  (except maybe the example above....)

Dropping a front tire just a bit off a narrow,  soft,  pine-needle covered trail,  The uphill,  gravelly,  step-up,  spin out,  stall & tippy over,  or even the full blown over the bars tuck and roll.  SO many ways to get a bit dirty on the mountain bike,  maybe even a little bloody.  Usually these things just involve a bit of cursing,  spraying it down from your camelback hose,  and a bit of scrubby-scrubby in the shower.

Why the reflection on hitting the ground?  Managed to fall on the SAME spot on the SAME knee 2 weeks running.  Nothing like ripping the freshly formed scabs off your knee on a different rock in just a few days.  Nothing major,  but sure can make you say some bad words.   Especially after aborting what was looking like a nice,  easy,  controlled crash,  all just to avoid landing in a full patch of Prickly Pear.    I'll take the ungainly landing on the ragged,  pointy rocks over another cheek full of Cactus spines every time.

Then there are the "Maytag" kind of events.  You know,  those where you look at the dirt,  blood trails and where the bikes & bodies come to rest and go....  "HOW the HELL did I get here?"  and "how did THAT happen?"

At least pointy,  ragged rocks are softer than pavement.  I'll take that any day.  May you keep the shiny side up,  and watch out for those High Gravity days.