Bad Bike Karma

Wednesdays are my days off. As I've mentioned before I like to go out to Oak Mtn. to ride. After coffee, blogging, and bike prep I headed out to meet my friend, S. for a ride (in celebration of a new job she is starting on Friday). We parked in the upper lot and chatted with some nice trail runners from Pensacola who needed running store and restaurant recommendations and S.'s RPM instructor at the Y who was there for some trail running too. It was a little busier than usual at the park--3 busloads of kids seemed to be on some sort of biology excursion, plucking leaves from everything in sight. All in all though it was festive and summery--a great start to the day.

The Pensacola couple complimented Birmingham on how runner-friendly it is--apparently they run the Oak Mountain 50K every year (just not this past one). Anyway, it's always nice to hear good things from out-of-towners.

So we were off. The first mile is almost all downhill so S. and I enjoyed some catching up and chit chat, knowing that the hills would make talk impossible at some point. Just after cresting the first hill and heading down, S.'s cell phone rang. She reached to get it out as I jokingly said, "Boy, that's daring" (thinking of the many times I couldn't even get my water bottle out and drink on the bike). Just as I was about to push on ahead so she could answer the phone I saw her grip her left brake handle. In slow motion I watched her bike lurch to a stop. With one hand still on the brake and the other holding the cell phone, she flipped over her handlebars and landed SMACK on the pavement with her bike on top of her. My heart just about jumped out of my chest.

I swung around, clipped out, and ran back to help her. I think she was pretty dazed and took a little while to get up. Talk about SCARY stuff! A nice cyclist blocked the road for us while she moved to the side of the road and a polite old man in an R.V. asked if we needed any assistance.

Poor S. was scraped up and visibly already bruised all over her legs and arms. Her arm was hurting her the most and was the main reason I immediately rode back to get the car. We trekked out to the hospital and I dropped her off at the emergency room, where her husband met her.

With nothing else to do and only 2 1/2 miles in--and admission paid--I decided to head back out to the park to ride some more. Guess that's one of the benefits of part-time employment. Got a great ride in (cringed a little, S., when I passed the area where you wrecked) and then dropped S.'s bike off at her house on my way home.

She has a nasty broken elbow and a bike ride for the books--and serious pain medication thank God. That said, huge Kudos to S. for not screaming like a baby. I think I would have been oh-so-dramatic. All the way to the hospital we just chatted about her exciting upcoming job. You are seriously tough, S.!

I'm so sorry and hope you get better soon! I should have warned you. I've joked with people before that I have bad bike karma. I think this confirms it.