Sholeh's Epic Bike Fail

So in the vein of keeping you all up to date with our trials and tribulations concerning our training, I will update you with my woeful first attempt at a bicycle ride in the city.

Lets start with the fact that I am much too poor to be fully involved with this sport. This means a couple things: 1. I can't afford a bike, thus my loving parents procured me what my mother has affectionatly termed the "Tweaker Bike" for $35 at the flea market. Now for $35 it is a work of art, but for anything more it would probably have more value as scrap metal. Lets just say that I have been too embarassed to take it to get properly fitted for fear that I'll be laughed out of the bike shop. 2. I can't afford clip-ins so thus will be riding ghetto style with my running shoes, with imminent first place glory just out of arms reach due solely to this fact, I'm sure of it.

So with my lovely "new" bike in tow, and my lovely padded bike shorts (also affectionately named by my mother the "Diaper Shorts") I set off one fine morning to conquer the notoriously mean streets of biker not-so-friendly SF. I was scared shitless heading out, waking at the crack of dawn at 5 am to avoid as much street traffic as possible. I made the quickest possible route directly to the bay so I could bike in the industrial area and avoid possible obstacles such as hobos, traffic and stop lights that were bound to ruin an otherwise perfect ride.

About 3 miles away from my house I start to get comfortable and confident, two of the most unnatural and inefficient emotions for me to feel. When will I learn that fear and intimidation will keep me safe and humble? I set off to take a left turn, properly singalling and looking both ways for traffic. What I should have been doing was looking straight down at the train tracks which I only noticed .0005 second before my front tire became entangled in them. Instantly realizing my horrible mistake, I literally said out loud to only myself, "Of Course!" as I tumbled to the ground.

Long story short, I fell and boo-booed my right elbow and knee, which to this day are bruised and have left me with scars like a 5 year old who fell down on the playground. I bent my wheel and had to walk home 3 miles with a half in tact bike and a barely intact ego. And of course, my Diaper Shorts...