Thursday, May 22, 2008

No respect for cyclists

Even David Byrne, of Talking Heads fame, doesn't get any respect when he does something stupid on his bike:
 
"You drank too much and fell off your bike" could be the title of a drawing by David Shrigley. But in this case, it actually happened to me after meeting Shrigley for dinner and drinks. While riding home, C and I were briefly separated. Upon reuniting, my tire slipped on the cobblestones of West 14th St., and I remember lying in the street, looking at oncoming headlights and rolling towards the curb so they wouldn't run me over. Two cops approached and looked down at me. "Have you been drinking?" they asked. Probably a typical question in that neighborhood at that time of night. "Yes, I've had a few drinks," I replied. "But I'm hurt." I managed to get up by myself and retrieve my bike (no help from the NYPD, though one of them asked if I was David Byrne) and it wasn't until later, when I was in bed, that the pain made itself truly known. I wondered how I would ever even get out of bed. The next day I went to the hospital and x-rays revealed two broken ribs — numbers 3 and 5, way up high. They're healing now, little by little, and I was told that in 3 weeks I should be OK.
 
Ouch.  In other news, VelociNancy and I completed the 3 Speed Tour in grand style and had grand fun doing it.  I'm hoping to write up a proper post this weekend, with glossy pictures and 3 part harmonies and all that.  For now, you can check out some of the pictures I took over the weekend along with pics from other flickr users in the 3 speed pool I started.  Apparently 85 miles of riding a 3 speed at low speed was just the thing for my pulled groin muscle.  It was noticeably sore during the frequent mount and dismount procedure of the 3 speed tour, but this week I've commuted 3 days in a row and it's felt better than it has in a long time.
 
Date:  May 17-18
Distance:  85
Ride Type/Bike:  3 Speed Tour/Robin Hood Sports
Month to Date mileage:  153
Year to Date mileage:  1477
 
Date:  May 20
Distance:  26
Ride Type/Bike:  Commute/Kuwahara
Month to Date mileage:  179
Year to Date mileage:  1503
 
Date:  May 21
Distance:  20
Ride Type/Bike:  Commute/Kuwahara
Month to Date mileage:  199
Year to Date mileage:  1523

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Stunning pics, beautiful bikes, and you guys are the cat's pajamas. I've never seen anything quite like it, can't even imagine how fun it must have been. Thanks for sharin'.