Bikeway Accident Causes Concern Right Before the Trip

NOB HILL--I had been slacking off. Although I rode 175 miles last week, I didn't ride last Sunday. Then I had a Dr. appointment on Monday morning and a Duke City Fix post that was due Tuesday morning. Those posts take longer than one might think: this one took 7 or 8 hours by the time I was finished about 8:30 A.M. yesterday. So I didn't ride Monday either. Yesterday I started out doing the south Bosque Trail, but felt really hot and tired and so quit after 15 miles or so. I think it was little sleep and high heat.

So today I vowed to ride about 50 miles. That is, I thought I would do the bosque end to end and then do the south side twice. 34 + 16 = 50. Great. I took my #3 bike, a Novara Randonee from REI. It is a touring road bike.

The excitement started in the 25th mile. My chain popped off as I started going up the hill on Rio Bravo. I got off the bike and was fooling around with the chain bending over the bike to do so. Suddenly a big gust of wind came and blew my bike off the pavement and me too. My bike fell to the ground right beside the bike path. I was falling on it and stepped beyond it to keep from squashing the bike under my feet. I turned an ankle on the steep embankment and tumbled head over heels down through the brush, coming to rest about 15 feet down the embankment.

I was bleeding a little, but otherwise seemed unhurt. I got up, fixed the chain and continued on.

By the 35th mile I was back at Kit Carson Park where I had started from. I bought an ice cream sandwich and relaxed on a bench for a while. I looked at my legs. They were pretty beat up. I wondered if I should just go home after the ride instead of stopping by Lam's Chinese Food for a late lunch as I had intended.

Well, I got back on the bike and started down the south loop again. Everything seemed okay except that I was pretty tired. I blamed this on the high termperatures and gusting winds. Oh, and my left ankle felt warm...very warm. Anyway, when I finally finished I just packed up my bike and went home.

Later, when I took my socks off I found this pretty large amount of swelling on my left ankle. I can't really even walk on it. I iced it down for half an hour. I hope it heals quickly. I don't want to start this trip on crutches!

By the way, the cortizone shot in my left foot has all but cured my neuroma. This swelling of the nerve sac on the ball of my left foot had kept me from wearing anything except an extra-soft pair on NewBalance shoes. It is getting better and better.