BIKE LESSON #1

I almost crashed my bike this afternoon. I was coming down a hill in Percy Warner Park (by the driving range) and was going faster than I realized. Today's lesson is "Always pay attention to the road when speeding at 35 mph down an unfamiliar hill." You never know when the road is going to turn suddenly and it is surprising how long it takes to stop a bike (probably due to the tiny brake pads and tire contact patches.) I remember thinking (as my front tire left the pavement) that "This is going to hurt." Luckily I rolled through some gravel and into some high grass without a lot of ruts. I was able to stay upright and finally stop. It was reminiscent of Jan Ullrich's off-road excursion while racing Lance Armstrong in the TdF of 2001, except he rode off the side of a mountain at 40+ mph.