First Clipless Ride
You know…As a car salesman, when you sell your first car, they cut your tie in half. As a deer hunter and you kill your first deer, they smear the blood on your face. Is there a clipless right of passage for when you bust your ass? If so, I want mine NOW!
Here I was, clipped in and pedaling just like the little man at the bicycle store had instructed me. I had practiced numerous times before getting on the bike at clipping in and unclipping. I was doing it like a road pro. Nothing could stop me now. Clip in, clip out, clip in, clip out…oh, how easy it was. This was feeling really natural to me. I was confident I was ready for anything. I was just under a mile into my first clipless ride when I slowed for a stop sign and forgot I was clipped in. Did you read that correctly? I FORGOT I was clipped in! Now, let me say right here that those clips really hold a foot onto the pedals. Yep, you just can’t lift your foot off and set it on the ground. When you are clipped in, you are ATTACHED to the bike.
Down I went…and HARD! Busted up my knee and my elbow was smashed pretty good. Bike was fine, though. Im the only one that got scratched. Had to limp back home. Took the ride of shame. Headed back home and was really hurting the whole way there. Knee and elbow bleeding, face red from shame, stomach in knots knowing i can never show my face on that corner on a bike again.
Sigh…
October 28, 2011 at 8:59 am
Allen, don’t feel bad. Literally thousands of new clipess riders have gone through the same thing you experienced. It’s a rite of passage in the cycling world. I myself have come very close to landing on my face but at very last possible second I managed to clip out.
Keep on pedaling!
November 2, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Yeah, I think we all go down at one time or another. It really is a rite of passage. I just started mountain biking and put clipless pedals on from the get-go. While I am doing much better now I must have bailed about 2 dozen time. Left a lot of skin and even more pride out on the trails.
You’ll get used to it. After a while you’ll find you can unclip as fast as taking your foot off a standard platform pedal.
November 9, 2011 at 1:27 pm
Perhaps I’m the exception, because I don’t think I ever had that problem with my clipless pedals. After the first few minutes it was a natural motion for me to unclip.