Flying Bike and Falling Riders

Click on the photo to see the damage!

What a crummy Scrooge type start to my day. This morning Miss Lady Madone was carried into Ernie's Bike Shop and directly to their ER room. Emergency surgery was performed by Dr. Mechanic, aka Erik, and she was back in the hands of her much relieved Sara in less than an hour. So here's what happened. I got distracted while putting the bike on the car rack as I was leaving for the 9:30 AM club ride. Since it was drizzling a little outside I wanted to cover the saddle with a plastic bag and use a little bungee to hold down the bag. I put the bike on the first hooks on the car --- BIG NO-NO -- and continued to do the baggie on the saddle. But then that distraction caused me to forget to buckle the straps. I should always do what Paul has told me a zillion times to do. Put the bike on the furthest inside hooks, right up next to the car bumper. Then if you forget to strap it. . . But I tend not to do that because it is hard to thread the bike all the way to the back. But I paid for it this time.

Well need I say it: I drove off and the bike was not secured with the buckles around the top tube. Drove the one mile down the street, stopped before turning on to Hwy 21 going south. I was just beginning to accelerate and I don't know what made me look into my rear-view mirror -- HORRORS! What I saw was all happening in slow motion. My Madone was flipping off the bike rack. I could see it take a bounce to the pavement and flip over to the side of the road. Thank you all you bicycle angels - there were no cars coming up behind me. I stopped and ran down the road to pick up my bike. SOB, sob, Sob! The wheels wouldn't move and the handle bar was all screwed up! All I kept thinking was, how much is this going to cost. Maybe only needs a new handle bar I thought. I drove to the ride start and three riders were getting ready for the ride. Thank goodness the ride started from the lot at Lake Avenue where Ernie's Bike Shop is. And it was open, even earlier than usual this Christmas Eve morn. Everyone looked over my bike and the consensus was it was fixable. I took it into the shop and they got to working on it. I left and ran an errand at the grocery store. On my return to the shop -- a Christmas miracle awaited me. My bike was back together. The wheels were true, the chain back on, the shifters, hoods and handlebar was all back in order. What a relief!

This little misfortune was, I hate to say it, a bit of a blessing in disguise. Not so good for the others. Peg called a few hours later to say it was a good thing I wasn't able to start out on the ride with them. All three were riding just out of Canal Fulton, coming up near NWHS, on a bit of a rise and BLAM!!! All three riders went down. Chuck K hit the black ice first and his bike went right out from under him. Then Peg, then Margie. All three hit that ice at the same time. Enough to ruin the ride for sure. They headed on back to Ernie's where Peg had to leave her bike to have the derailleur adjusted. No one expected that ice. For heaven's sake who would have thought when the temp was 40+ and light rain -- you'd think the ice would have melted. First report is everyone is OK. If I'd been on the ride I too would have been right there in the road sprawled out with them. My bike was fixed and I was spared, this time, the excitement on that ride.

Bike fixed. I put it on the safest spot on the rack!