Today I Fell (and This is What I Did)

The highlight today was the long climb of 4,055 ft (1,236m). That's going upward for almost a mile!

Thankfully the grades maxed out at 8% so it was a good warm up for the next few weeks of climbing through the Cascades and Rockies...until I turn east in Colorado. Getting enough rolling momentum to balance when re-starting on the steep grades was a challenge. My trailer literally pulled me backward downhill so I had to improvise a new technique of holding the brakes (releasing at just the right moment) while also pushing off. I'll do my best not to stop on a steep climb again if I can avoid it! I'm grateful there was little traffic on this road. I was in the shade of the Douglas firs most of the day and saw fewer than a dozen cars.

I had my first crash of the trip today. Whew...got that over with! I skidded in some loose gravel and couldn't get my left pedal unclipped in time to catch the fall. That meant I rolled onto the full of the left side of my body so didn't end up breaking anything (aside from my handlebars). I'm glad I had my gloves on so the gravel chewed them up while my hands remained unscathed. Unfortunately, a yellow jacket also decided to sting me as I squished it behind my knee while trying to disentangle myself from my bicycle.

Sometimes we skid and crash in life, and then we get stung while we're down. I keep in mind that I'm likely to fall a few times on this journey, so I'm only surprised, not shocked, when I do. At the same time, I also don't ride around with anxiety about wiping out. That drives a tight grip that numbs my hands and I miss out on all the beauty of the ride, when the vast majority of the time I'm not in danger of taking a fall. When the terrain gets slippery, that's when I slow down, become more cautious, and take more frequent breaks.

I've already fallen many times before this trip (on my bicycle and in life). That experience makes it easier to go out and enjoy the trail. It hurts to fall, sometimes more than others, but thankfully none of my falls have resulted in lasting damage. No way will I miss out on this journey just because I might tip over a time or two!

Falling doesn't have to be a big deal. Here's how to recover:

1. You learn what conditions caused the fall and assess the severity of the consequences. You decide if it is something you can and want to change next time, something you can do little about and must accept, or a circumstance you can partially mitigate or manage.
2. You assess and treat your wounds.
3. You get back on your feet (often with the help of friend or passer-by).
4. And you pedal on!

Have you faced a setback lately where you learned a little, treated your scrapes and bruises, called on a friend to help you back up, then got back on your bike and pedaled on? Please share your story in the comments.

Making memories