Don't Be Hasty

Due to the exterminator's visit, I needed to be out of the house during the time in the morning I normally clean up from my bike ride and get ready for work. So I had to skip my morning ride. By the time I got off of work this afternoon, it was getting too warm and I had too much to do for me to take my regular ride, so I settled for a quick trip along a marked bike route through a neighborhood near my house. I didn't even go home to change clothes; I just went straight from work.

As I neared one of the turns, I saw that it was pretty sharp, and I was going pretty fast. In a split second, I had to decide to either slow down enough to make the turn, or cut the corner, as I could tell many others had done. I could clearly see the tire marks in a sunken arch in the dirt between the two concrete paths. So I opted to cut the corner.

If I'd had a dirt or mountain bike with knobbly wheels for traction, I would probably have been OK, but the thin, smooth wheels of my street bike aren't designed for that type of maneuver on that type of terrain. The dry dirt offered no resistance, and my bike slid out of my control.

I ended up on the ground with almost half the palm of my left hand skinned and bleeding. So much for rash decisions and cutting corners. Next time I'll just slow down.