On Crashing

This is a long weekend. I seem to be cursed on long weekends. It was the Victoria Day long weekend of 2000 that Cole Airlines enjoyed its one brief moment of air worthy status prior to a rough landing on the Martin Goodman Trail.

I crashed again today. Unlike crashes earlier in the year when it was a matter of not freeing my shoes from the pedals as the bike came to a stop, this crash was a result of events outside of my control. (I believe I have mastered the clip-in clip-out pedal system, not that a rapid clip-out would have helped today.)

I was riding with the BCC, out in Oshawa on Thickson North of Winchester, about 48km from the starting point. Just prior to that we had stopped for the ritual mid ride (well it was a 140km ride, so not so mid ride) coffee break. Just as we were getting ready to leave someone decided they needed to go to the washroom. I was getting cold so I declared that I would start and go slow. Dan announced that anyone who wanted to go now and slow should follow me.

After pulling the pack for about 3 or 4 minutes I decided to be a proactive leader, I told the guy behind me to maintain 26km/h for until a traffic light about 2km away then pick it up to 28km/h. I drifted towards the back of the pack to make sure everyone was in and doing alright. As I tried to drift back I found the pack moving too slowly so I raced back to the front and asked the lead guy to pick up the pace a bit. I should have stayed in front and pulled.

After telling the lead guy to pick it up, I drifted back, but the traffic was getting bad, Thickson is a two lane road with a gravel shoulder, I ended up planting myself in the middle of the pack as it was just too dangerous for me to continue on doubled up with the rest of the pace line. The pack started to go frustratingly slowly, then the guy in the front dropped back, and I felt relieved as things started to pick back up.

As we crossed Winchester a red sedan passed, very slowly, perhaps 35km/h to our 28km/h. Then suddenly the guy not 30cm right in front of me slammed on his brakes. I did the same but it was no good, before I knew up from down I was skidding along the road and then someone else literally rolled right over my back wheel.

For myself the damage is modest, a very minor cut on the knee. But for my bike (who's name, I finally settled on, from now on my bike is called Erin) the situation is very much more ugly. The back wheel is way out of true and needs the work of an experienced mechanic to fix. The hanger for the rear derailleur is bent and needs to be replaced, I am not confident that the rear derailleur is in good shape either - it will probably need to be replaced. The right pedal seems to be deformed, it does not look out of shape but I cannot unclip any more without a major struggle. The bar tape I could keep, but it is so badly scuffed on one side I might as well replace it too.

I was able to ride to the Go Train station in Oshawa, about 10km away, but I could feel my rear brake bouncing against the wheel every time I tried to engage the brakes. (Dan had to loosen the brake so that I could ride Erin in the first place, otherwise every time the untrue section of wheel hit the brake Erin would seize up.) I am sure that ride to the Go train did nothing good for the back wheel.

There is nothing dignified in taking a bike on the Go train, Erin is supposed to be ridden, not do the riding, worst of all, because it is a long weekend all the stores are closed today and tomorrow so I cannot take my broken parts in until Tuesday afternoon. I missed the Simcoe ride, I will miss the Tuesday Escape the Don ride. About the only good that will come of this whole experience is I will have to practice skating tomorrow, but lets be honest, skate or ride? Well I suppose if someone bashed me over the head - with a big rubber mallet - hard enough I might go for the skating, but I doubt it.

I should start a charity, the pay for Erin's repairs fund. I suppose I could ride Amy, but I want to sell her in her pristine state, I am afraid if I ride her I could damage her too. If anyone wants to contribute to the pay for Erin's repairs, just read up on some of the ads here on this blog, or do a Google search from the link up top. Thanks guys. - I know I have no shame, but it is for a good cause.