A Day in the Life

I rode my bike today oh boy
It was a fun ride, all except the grades,
And though my legs were rather bad
Well I just had to laugh
Wish I had a photograph
I crashed my ass off, on the road,
I didn't notice trucks had spilled their load.
A crowd of people stood and stared
They'd seen me crash before,
Nobody was really sure
If I could ride back to the shop...

I fell on film today oh boy
The trucks, they leaked some awful motor oil
It spilled right in the roundabout,
But I just spun right through,
Having read Prehn's book.
I thought I'd ride straight on...

Went down, fell on my head,
I wish I'd stayed in bed.
Water bottles shot on down the road
And looking down I saw to my dismay,
My leg skin had all gone away,
Crashed from 30, and skinned my butt,
Then I laid upon the roadside and went into a dream.

I crashed my bike today, oh boy.
Wiped out on oil up there in Odenton.
And though my cuts are rather small,
I find they ooze a wet unsightly pall.
Now I know how many many pedal turns it really takes to fall,
I'd love some no-o-o-o-o va-a-a-a- caine....



Yes, I crashed hard in a traffic circle near the Burns Crossing Road waste disposal center, when I failed to notice a long dark streak going around the circle - which I am pretty sure is trash truck leavin's, based on its location. The rear wheel went out as if on oil at about 30 MPH. I went down pretty hard on the left side, my water bottles did take off down Burns Crossing Road at a high rate of speed. The bike, thankfully, is fine, just a few scrapes on the left brake handle, some gummed up handlebar tape and a little tear in the rubber on the shifter hood. I have road rash on the left calf and buttock, serious strawberries with underlying bruising on both forearms, and on the left hip. The palms are badly bruised in the meaty part, bloodshot. Total Equipment Death Toll: One pair of bib shorts, one pair of MTB gloves, and we'll need some new grip tape. About $120 worth of gear eaten up.

It's all part of the game, I guess. Doesn't make it suck any less when it happens though.

[UPDATE: For what it's worth, the excellent Dr. Arnie Baker - cyclist extraordinaire and the Floyd's doctor, has a good article on how to treat road rash here. I employ a combination of his old school & new school methods. I prefer to leave road rash uncovered as much as possible - it seems to heal faster and be less painful generally if you keep it uncovered. On the other hand, hard scabs tend to be sort of painful. So I keep the area uncovered, if possible, and douse it with a light coating of anti-bacterial Neosporin. If the thing gets weepy, I will apply a dressing with a heavier coat of Neosporin, if for no other reason than to protect my dress clothes from rust stains, though if it is deep rash keeping the wound moist will prevent big thick scabs from forming, which later painfully crack and bleed when you move. Your mileage, of course, may vary.]