Most Embarrassing Moment On A Bike

Ok, we've all had them. I had mine last December on my way to watch the State CX races at Montrose. It was winter and snowing quite heavily. My cap had dropped in front of my eyes and having very little sleep the night before, I spaced out for a brief moment. In that moment, I almost crashed into a parked car. Looked up in time to swerve out of the way and bruise my legs in the process. 

So that's my story. You? What have you done? Did anyone see you?

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Permalink Reply by Matt on July 27, 2017 at 7:18am

My most embarrassing moment was very similar to this.  I was at the Libertyville Metra with my road bike and as I was about to get on one of the cars, a conductor told me to go further down the train and get on there.  I hopped on, and put a little pressure on the pedals to move, but didn't want to click in.  They did, but I didn't feel it.  I stopped at the car door, and went to put my foot down but it did not cooperate.  I fell into the open Metra doorway, as everyone around me stopped and turned around to see.

Permalink Reply by TonyP on July 27, 2017 at 8:00am

As long as we're having pedal issues...

I was stopped at a light, behind a car and the light went green. The car started moving and I followed, looking down at my pedal as I didn't find it with my cleat right away. I clicked in and looked up just in time to see the car had stopped. I pulled my foot out of the pedal but couldn't stop, tapping the cars bumper and going down. When I got up the driver was looking in the mirror, shaking his head.

When everything cleared up I pedaled away but my foot wouldn't stay locked in. Like I said, I pulled my foot out, as in straight up, without twisting out of the cleat, breaking the forward engagement off the cleat. As it was my right foot, the one that is used whenever I stop, it must have been more wore than I realized for me to be able to break it off like that.

Any way, I now carry a spare cleat in my bag.

Permalink Reply by David Henri on July 31, 2017 at 2:52am

I stopped clipping in years ago.  Too many red lights clipping in, clipping out.  Not worth the bother.

Permalink Reply by Fuegofan on August 18, 2017 at 8:11am

This is why for years I wouldn't ride to work, which is in the Loop.  Being clipped in was too terrifying and too dangerous.  I eventually saved up for a commuter bike--one with a rack and normal pedals.  

Permalink Reply by Gary Elfring on July 27, 2017 at 9:42am

I was riding the bike path from St Charles to Sycamore at lunch time the day after a big storm. I was riding on my aero bars after I had to swerve around several downed tree limbs.  Just cruising along and when I looked ahead I discovered a tree completely covering the whole path. I braked, skidded sideways and crashed into the tree. Fell off my bike into the middle of the tree. While working my way out of the branches I see another cyclist walking through the woods around the tree. He just said "Nice"

Permalink Reply by Ethan N-G on July 27, 2017 at 11:57pm
While commuting to work early on a November morning I was traveling south bound between the recreation drive (3650) and Belmont on the LFT and out of nowhere a goose took off flying across the trail, I braked hard with both hands, hit the goose lightly. I did an endo, caught myself with both hands and ended up with a partial fracture to my radius, but avoiding any impact to my head.

I biked to the Belmont redline, but couldn't board a train during rush hour. Sat in Starbucks and drank a lot of coffee and ate several pastries waiting to take the train to Evanston where I live and went to the ER there.

By the time I had my x-rays and cast done it was lunchtime. I walked home and put a pizza in the oven. As it cooked I realized that I couldn't get the pizza out of the oven with my broken arm and cast and called my wife who has taken our son out saying 'I've broken my arm and cannot get my pizza out of the oven, please come home' that pizza was really delicious.

It took about 2 months to completely heal. Of course this happened on a Friday the 13th.
Permalink Reply by Alex Z on July 28, 2017 at 2:47am

Badass. :)

Permalink Reply by Clare C on July 28, 2017 at 5:18am

Too many to count! A couple made it into this article: 

rebelliousmagazine.com/cautionary-tales-on-two-wheels/

It doesn't mention when I had to crawl across a huge ice sheet on the lakefront while dragging my bike behind me ;)

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on August 2, 2017 at 1:21pm

Took a little time getting used to clipping in. At a red light, I spaced out and got my feet all mixed up and fell in front a police SUV. They were very nice about it, asking me if I was ok. I was physically fine. My cheeks were burning.

Permalink Reply by mike w. on August 2, 2017 at 3:00pm

Was in Colorado Springs to watch the '86 UCI World Championship races. One afternoon i was riding with some friends down the main drag in town. We were goofing off doing hand slings and as i threw someone in, i completely lost it, going airborne horizontally and coming down in a bloody tangled heap in the street.

 When i gathered myself and looked up, i saw Mark Gorski and Nelson Vails standing over me, asking if i was all right. They'd been riding up behind us and seen the whole shameful episode. i was too embarrassed to say much beyond that i must have forgotten how to ride road bike... a total Fred moment. Still carry the scars on my arm from that landing.

Permalink Reply by LJS on August 23, 2017 at 5:29am

Was commuting to work one day two winters ago (Feb 2015?) on one of those awful days where the snow was semi-melted and the roads are still wet.  Heading South on Clinton, hanging a left onto Washington, and start to turn my tires while on one of those metal road plates they use for construction.  Of course they are slippery to begin with let alone on a day like this.  Completely eat it (good thing I was going <5 mph) and the bike falls on top of me.  To add to my embarrassment, an orange from my lunch bag slowly rolls away into the gutter of the street.  Picked my bike and stuff up (sans orange) and continue like nothing has happened, aside from a small tear on my pants and roughed-up bar tape...

Permalink Reply by Nançois on August 23, 2017 at 6:20am

These are all so classic! Here's mine:

Riding home from work after dark one late-Fall evening, I cut through the empty parking lot at Diversey Harbor heading north. Although I had my light on (alas, with beam aimed downward), I did not see the barrier gate at the north end of the parking lot because I was too busy gawking at the awesome sculpture on the left and hit the gate with my face as it raised open into my chin. Thought I might have broken my jaw at first, but it turned out to be just bruised. No witnesses, yay!

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