A new biking adventure. Well, even misadventures are adventures.

Went biking after the dental appointment today. Nothing strenuous, just the flattish trails in pacific Spirit park at UBC. It was, however, the first time that I'd encountered rapidly twisting and turning narrow trail backed on both sides by close trees and fallen branches, the shoulders composed of loose gravel, stones and dirt. Loose enough that one's foot would sink in about 2 inches were one to step into it purposefully. All this makes for an exasperating start, but once I discover the usefulness of brakes and slowing into the turn and leaning slightly (the catch word is slightly) , I'm much happier. Until I notice that I'm about to ride over a fallen branch, whose short yet undoubtedly stout appendage is about to enter the whirling spokes of my front wheel. That is not the beginning of a good day. So I try to turn, but like some superferry, or worse yet, like the Titanic, the turn kicks in ever so slowly that I am sure not to avoid the larger upright tree behind the fallen branch, so I lean over and somehow manage to squeeze the brakes as well, and seeing as how these new disc brakes work so well, I come to a complete, abrupt stop. And since I am at an angle in mid-lean, momentum does its thing and time for me slows down. This is not so good as it heralds the beginning of what I have come to recognise as "an accident". Which misbegotten madman thought in his infinite wisdom that it would be a good things to cover the breadth of the trail in small, loose and auto-sharpening gravel? I sense that I am trying to get off my bike but something won't disengage and I feel as if I am cartwheeling through the air after the first bounce. I then instantly register the expected pain of gravel (hard and sharp) meeting my skin on my forearm (soft and flat) and shin (soft and flat) and calling forth blood. The lacerations sting immediately and my first thought is "I wonder if someone's dog has pooped here recently". A previous wobbly fall had disengaged my chain from the gears and now I add gear grease on my fingers into the wounds on my arm and leg as I brush away the archipelago of gravel bits. That didn't take long, only half an hour. So I bear with it for another half and hour as I trundle my way back to the car in my first setback. I did, however, learn quite a bit. I will need to practice more on those things. The trail as well as the bike.