Crunch

405.6; 23.0

I gotta start getting out earlier--the headwind is really obnoxious in the afternoon (and practically nonexistent in the morning).

Well, I took that first tumble with the cleats in the pedals. Coming up to a cross street, I saw a lady with a kid stop to wait for me, then I continued up and saw a car coming from the other way. Mixing up the signals from the brain, I hit the brake instead of twisting out, and found myself on the ground quicker than you can think it. Amazingly, I have only a skinned knee and bruised ego to show for it, and was able to get back on and ride the eight miles home from there.

I might try riding with regular shoes again, by way of comparison. I'm not sure the speed and power gain is worth the epidermal loss. Even if this only happens every now and then, I suspect it will NEVER again be as painless as today, and realize I will now need to carry some kind of first aid kit as well as the other stuff I'm packing. (And indeed, I might go for knee and elbow pads if they weren't so inconvenient.) So I might have some SPD pedals and $115 Keenes for sale soon...