OOPS! I did it again!

The very first time I mounted a Trikke, in a moment of panic, I jackknifed the handlebars and went flying. I landed on my face in the street and I wasn't wearing a helmet. I ended up with a ruddy nose and a black eye.

Last Thursday I was carving, I was in the zone, hitting that sweet spot, soaring on my Trikke, Black Birdie. Then, POP! The front fork dropped down, Boom! It felt like my front tire fell into a hole. It immediately stopped my Trikke but it did not stop me. Once again I flew over the handlebars and landed on my face in the street.

I was so dumbstruck I just sat there on the hot asphalt (actually a wonderful bike lane that Long Beach has provided us with -- thank you LB!) and wondered how I was going to pull myself up or even drag myself out of the street. It seemed like quite a while before anyone came across me there.

The first thing discovered was my front tire blew out. It was so bald the inner workings of the tire were exposed. What? I had recently added air to that tire! And my back tires are still in great shape. Yet at the Newport Beach Back Bay ride on 7/24/11, I seem to remember a fleeting thought that my front tire was aging. But a lot was going on and I forgot about it. 

So there it is, I was not paying attention to the condition of Black Birdie.

After my first trip over the handlebars I vowed to always wear a helmet. The sun guard on the helmet has grooves in it where my forehead hit the street. Those grooves would have been in my face.

So to recap, I did not pay attention to the condition of my Trikke. I did not check things out, and I hadn't for a long time. Oh sure, I squeeze my tires every couple of rides, but that's it. (And yes, I do know how to check the oil in a car.)

When something stupid happens to someone intelligent, one has to learn one's lesson quickly and move on. I have learned that lesson, and have a new interest in caring for Black Birdie. (And yes, I have been back on the horse that bucked me!)