Catching Air…
…but not the good kind.
I am now officially a member of the “bike flew off my rack on the freeway” club. What a sight to look back and not see your bike, but instead see a twisted pile of carbon and aluminum a quarter mile back.
So bizarre I could only laugh…. no one to blame except my own sorry butt for not strapping it right or tight enough.
The good news is there wasn’t any major damage. How could 70 mph off the back of a car onto the freeway not result in a totaled bike?? I’m just that lucky. (I’m also lucky that I was riding the Avalanche tonight and not the Fuel EX9.)
The WTB Pure V seat, handlebars and Ergon grips took the brunt of the fall. All I ended up with was a bent seatpost, ripped seat, scuffed handlebars and grips and a bent derailleur hanger. After some adjusting I went out and rode the thang on Hawes till it got too dark to see.
I rode with Arturo tonight, a fellow rider and reader of my blog. One of the cool things about blogging is meeting up with riders all over the valley who share the same passion for riding. Arturo was on a brand new Cannondale Caffeine 29er. What a sweet bike. Good thing he knows how to strap his bike onto a rack.
Since we got a late start on Hawes we didn’t get to complete the planned loop, though we sure tried. Good thing we bailed when we did because it got dark fast. Temps were friggin hot today, but by 7:15 it felt good to be out even though it was 102.
Hawes is magnificent at sunset. The colors in the sky bouncing off the desert is a sight to see. You’ll just have to imagine it because I have no photographs to remember today’s ride. But I’ll never forget today, it was was my lucky day.
Good times we had driving to Hawes. Riding wasn’t bad either :) Next time I’m triple checking the straps on the rack!
I still can’t get over looking up in the rear-view mirror and seeing your bike flying down the 202 end over end while watching cars swerving around it! :)
@maadj First mistake in 15 years with a trunk rack. Not bad statistics, but 60 years would be better. You take real good care of La Fawnduh, she’s a beauty.
@Lenz You are one lucky rider too. I could never forgive myself if I ran over my own bike… especially one like yours. Now I have bike envy again…
@ricosuave Ha! That was a nice move by Trent wasn’t it? About a grand in damage to his car. Yes, I’m not a member of that club yet, but there is still time.
At least you aren’t a member of the oops, I forgot I had a bike on top of my car and drove under a low clearance obstacle club. I know some who not only screwed up their bike but their car as well.
Wow, lucky break!
I had a scary incident just after I got my Behemoth. I had set it in back of the car and ran off to do something else. It came time to go to the trailhead and I thought I had loaded it. while backing up I heard it fall over and luckily hit the brakes immediately! Inches more and I would have backed up over my new ride. eek. Too close!
ughh! I worry about that constantly with La Fawnduh….especially after reading about the T2 failures on MTBR….hopefully it was user error rather than rack failure….one can always correct user error….not that it will make you feel any better!