The Peddler: Falling off the Bike at Just the Wrong Time

Spending time with your boss outside of work can be tricky. The theoretical whistle blows, but you still have to watch what you say, act professionally and continue to make a good impression.

You definitely want to avoid running your bike into hers.

But that's exactly what I did on the Rapha Women's 100 training ride last week. Whether it was because Dallas was celebrating Bastille Day or the temperature was passing 100 degrees Fahrenheit, we ended up being the only two people who showed up for the ride.

"Do you still want to do the whole route?" she asked before we began.

Of course. Absolutely. Why not? I was fully hydrated and fueled, ready for the 30-mile ride.

A couple of miles in, we were riding down a slight hill. I was feeling relaxed, grateful for the breeze that was cooling me off. But then I moved behind her, staying to the side. Then, I saw my front wheel get closer to her back wheel.

I actually had time to think to myself, "Move away from that. You'll fall."

But—looking back now I realize—my mistake is that while I was thinking this, I continued to look at her back wheel. It didn't matter that I was looking at it in fear and thinking, "move away from that." I nicked it and fell.

She rode on a few meters, and I fell to the ground.

More: 6 Basic Skills for Group Rides

I wish I could say it was like getting caught in a clipless pedal, where you slowly tip over.

But, I was moving at a fast pace. My wheels slid out from under me, and I crashed to the ground. Most of the impact happened on the side of my left knee. Skidding along the asphalt, I would end up getting road rash on most of the left side of my body.

I later learned this was because of target fixation: I was focused on the bicycle in front of me, so rather than moving away from it, I aimed right for it. Seems like a simple mistake to avoid—in retrospect.

We pulled to the side of the road, checking on the bike and my injuries. I assessed them as only flesh wounds and decided we might as well keep riding. 

If you're not going to make a great impression on your fairly new boss, you might as well bond with her. She ended up stopping traffic for me after my fall, wiping my wounds with alcohol and later on shouting at (encouraging?) me to continue riding up a hill.

I had honestly never been in so much pain than from that road rash. It is just horrible. I would've sworn off cycling forever if I hadn't bought a bike just two days prior. (Thankfully, the bike is OK, minus a bad tear in the bar tape. But that just makes me look cool, right?)

The first two days after the fall, I covered myself in Brave Soldier Antiseptic Healing Ointment—which I highly recommend—and took over-the-counter pain medication.

More: Overcoming a Cycling Injury

The third day, I stopped the pain medicine and realized I had pain beyond the scrapes. At the urging of the Rapha Ambassador I've been riding with, I went to the doctor for some hip and knee pain, just to make sure I didn't have a hairline fracture.

The doctor watched me limp and moved my knee around, noting when I had pain. She took an X-ray, and told me no running or cycling for two weeks. It was 10 days before the Rapha event.

So, I've spent months getting used to an uncomfortable saddle and logging miles just so I can miss the actual event. This is a family-friendly website, so I'll keep it clean: I'm less than thrilled.

But one person I work with put it in perspective for me:

"It's not so much about the event," she said. "It's about getting into cycling and sticking with it, and that's what you're doing."

And she's right. After all, I did just buy a bike.

Make sure to follow the ride Sunday on Instagram at @activedotcom.

Read the rest of The Peddler series.