Grapevine lake is in Grapevine Texas, just a few miles north of DFW airport. I discovered the bike trail last January when I was here working and we had a couple of really fun rides out there. The first one resulted in a bruise to my left shin which has not gone away yet. Actually it was more of an abrasion that resulted from getting hit really hard when I put my left foot down to keep from falling and with my right still clipped in I put all my weight on it and the left pedal came up and smacked my shin really hard. The scab healed up after a couple of weeks but the bruise is with me still.
I went riding out there by myself the last two Saturdays. It isn't a problem because the place is loaded with people, riding bikes, jogging, walking/hiking. I knew that I am not in such good shape any more, I just didn't realize how out of shape I was. Partly due to age, but mostly due to laziness, not riding as much as I used to. Pretty much everyone on a bike passes me up, men, women, children, it doesn't matter. I was consoling myself by the fact that I seemed to be older than they all were, but Saturday even guys who I could tell were older than I am were passing me. At least no joggers passed me. The trail is pretty flat and technical. there are a lot of roots, boulders, sand and short up and downs with a few stream/bridge crossings thrown in. Yesterday I took my first spill. I was in the middle of a turn and got too far to the outside in some sand and slid out. I went down hard on my left shoulder. Painful as it was, it was fortunate because it would have been way more painful if I had fallen on the right shoulder. I'm ok, I can still raise my arm.
About two thirds into the ride I went down into one of the dry ditches and on the way up there was a root about an inch in diameter sticking out into the trail. The trails are narrow but I managed to avoid it, I thought. I must have drifted right after I passed it with my front wheel because it nailed me right on the rear derailleur snapping it completely off the bike. I have to get a new derailleur and hanger. I noticed that the plastic ring is broken but I hope the chain cogs are OK. It also dented the top of the chain stay. I'm glad I didn't have one of those carbon fiber bikes or I'd probably be buying a new frame. While I was in the shop another guy came in and said he had done the exact same thing last week.
the total mileage that I rode shown in blue is 7.68 miles. It's not the whole trail. The part of the track that is smooth is the part where I had to walk so I got off the trail and took the road. It was shortly before that where the impalement took place.
No comments:
Post a Comment