At Least it Shifts!

I returned to Houghton on a late October day and headed straight to Cross Country Sports to drop off my bike. I bought a new derailleur and the guys straightened the existing hanger. I picked it up the next day and went for a ride.

Remember, this was my first year mountain biking. I was practicing and mastering new skills all the time.

Enter the wheelie. Oh, yes. I wanted to learn how to do a wheelie. I started off at the trailhead, the Core loop at Tech, and tried to apply what I read in books. My last attempt ended with my front wheel coming down hard and the bike flipping forward. I landed on my left chest as my head was forced to the right. The bike flew up behind me and twisted in the air. I was still clipped in! My spine twisted in the lumbar region and my feet finally broke free of the bike as it flew down to the ground. I quickly sat up and took in a breath and panicked as a horrible wheezing sound came from my left lung. I quit breathing. I was afraid and didn’t want to take in another breath for fear of what was happening. I had an interesting thought process:

• Di you have to breathe. You can’t hold your breath forever.
• Ok. Just take in a breath slowly. (I slowly take in a breath. No sound. Resume normal breathing.) You’re breathing, so you don’t have a collapsed lung and your ribs aren’t broken. Check.
• My head feels funny. Sound is muffled. I’m having an adrenaline rush. Crap. My back is sore. I have to relax! Lay down, Di. Lay back. (I lay back and stretch my arms overhead. It feels good.)
• Ok. Sit back up. Everything feels ok. I really want to ride. I feel fine enough to ride.

I got up, picked up my bike, got back on, started pedaling and . . . why does my bike feel funny? I tried pedaling again. What the heck? I looked down at my wheel and realized it was slightly tacoed. Wonderful. I can’t afford a new wheel.

I threw my bike over my shoulder and walked back to my truck. I called my family doctor and explained the situation. I told the nurse I wanted to get checked out after what happened, but I figured the ER wasn’t appropriate since I just threw my bike over my shoulder and carried it back. She did a phone assessment and told me that if I felt dizzy or sick, go to the ER. Otherwise, just take ibuprofen. Great. I hate ibuprofen. Aspirin it is!

I got into my truck and drove right back to the bike shop. Mind you, about thirty minutes have gone by since I picked up the newly repaired bike. I walked in with the bike and Steve looked at me with utter confusion. He knew I was going riding. “Uh, why are you here?”

I just started laughing. I couldn’t get the words out and I just looked at him and the bike. He looked down at the wheel and exclaimed, “Holy crap! How did you do THAT!?”

I laughed more. Caleb smiled, “What? What happened?”

“Look at her wheel,” Steve said.

Caleb assessed the situation then offered the brighter side, “Well, at least it shifts!”

Steve bent the wheel back and had the bike ready for me the next day. I was in a bit of pain, but I concluded my weekend with the usual ride around the Tech Trails.

I haven’t tried a wheelie since.