high speed ground/face combo
Last year, on the week before my birthday, a mate and I decided we'd go along on a mountain bike ride with a few guys from the local bike shop. Thinking I was a bit special with my £600 hardtail I tried to keep up with the mentalists on their £5,000 full sus monsters and failed miserably.

After feeling like a right plank who should still have his stabilisers on for the first couple of hours the trail got far easier, and we eventually got to the crest of a hill I had travelled down at speed the weekend before. Trying to show off my supposed skills I bombed down, stood up and leaning forward trying to get as much pace a possible. The hill was pretty rutted though, and it was dark, so when the inevitable unexpected jump was hit I slammed down hard on the brakes.

Being that I was in mid-air at the time, and my disc brakes had recently been serviced the bike stopped dead when I landed. I, unfortunately, did not and with my arms by my side I had no way of breaking my fall and so collided chest-first with the deck. Ouch.

Not wanting to seem like any more of the plonker I already was I jumped straight back on the bike and cycled back to the ferry, still in the dark, minus a front light. It was only when I couldn't breathe the suggestion was made that I should head to Casualty, where I discovered I'd broken a few ribs.

So the next week was spent on Codine, not drinking or generally doing anything fun on my birthday due to my own stupidity. My ribs still hurt to this day, almost whispering 'you twat' in my brain.
(tattymuff, Fri 13 Feb 2009, 13:46, 1 reply)

Bike related carnage...
Oh yes. I feel a post coming on...
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Fri 13 Feb 2009, 14:21, closed)