Pavement meet David, David meet the Pavement

Yes, what better way to welcome in 2006 than with a nice tumble on the old bicyclette.
Not as much a tumble as an uncontrolled slide. I was psyched to finally be back up in the Felicianas for the first time since before Katrina. Happy to be on hills, and not on the cursed loop of River Road.

We had a nice sized group and the roads were wet from fog. 4 miles into it, someone got a flat, thena mile later i did the same, using up my only spare tube. I should have just turned around at that point, but instead on we went up Sligo. I decided to test my legs a bit on the two steep sections heading to Rosemound. Mitch, Mark and i got a gap on the rest and we were just rolling, not fast at all, around the Lake.

I approached the off-camber 90 degree turn that leads to the exit and swung wide-out to make the corner. I've probably done this one 50 times in my life, it looks easy, but gets sharper as you get deeper into it. As i set up for it i noted bundles of pine straw in the apex, but missed these by a foot at least. Then whammo-bammo-slammo, i lost traction on the road and we're sliding, meaning my bike and me. I'm on my ass sliding for a while, the bike is sliding. The damage to my bike was nil, except for a sharpened corner on a pedal. My shorts were trashed, and me well probably about 6 square inches of skin loss over my elbow, knee, shin and ass.

After regrouping at the store, everyone else kept rolling towards Jackson/Red Bug, i took a right on 61 and went home in case i tightened up. About 4 miles from the car, at the 61/66 intersection, i hit some gravel or glass that blew out my front tire. NICE. Without another tube and no interest in a hike in my cleats i just rode the flat back to the car.

I hope 2006 gets better.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!