I'm on the lakefront path this morning when the guy ahead of me suddenly endos. Nothing in his way, no one near him, he just jerks sideways and then dumps himself over the bars. It was surprising.
I stop and he very much wants no one to pay any attention to him. He's wearing one birkenstock [!] and pacing distractedly. I pick up his [heavy!] vintage road bike w/ top tube shifters and lay it down off the path. Then I move his messenger bag out of the way. I look around for his other sandal . . . and finally find it in his front spokes. Mystery solved. He tells me that the cage on that side broke this morning. Probably in protest of birkenstocks being shoved in them every day.
He wants me to leave. As I ride away he lays down on the grass.
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I love Jens Voigt.
A blog about bike racing.
About Me
- Tamara Fraser
- When I started bike racing in 2006, I got dropped from every race [and team ride] for months. But I persevered and have steadily improved — I'm now a cat 3 (!) and expecting to get my butt kicked by the tough 1,2,3 field.
"Hey kid, this is bike racing – it's all fair. It's a sport where treachery is revered. Grow up."
—Mark Swartzendruber
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8 comments:
Jeez. Was he OK? I was pretty embarrassed when I endo'd at the Oak Street chicane the day after Thanksgiving last year...a bikerby asked me if I was OK and I said yes, and he left...about 10 seconds later it was very clear that I was not OK.
the Chicago lake front path should be a national laboratory for human stupidity.
He wasn't bleeding and he was lucid. I was there for a couple minutes. I hope he ended up OK.
That sucks. Maybe he'll rethink his choice of footwear... crocs and bikes seem like a recipe for disaster too.
Does it feel strange for anyone else to ride without clipless pedals? Does for me. I don't feel like I'm "one with the bike".... that's why I bought SPD sandals.
I saw a guy on a folding bike endo at the Pedestrian bridge at North Ave beach... he took that southbound right corner a bit too cautiously and went right into the sand. I swear time slowed down while I watched it happen.
The Tai Chi people even noticed.
I ride my track bike in Birkenstocks, despite suffering derision from my teammates, who already think I'm too old. Haven't endo'd yet, but almost fell into the lake on one of those icy January mornings last winter. They work fine with platform pedals without cages.
I guess this guy wasn't used to riding in his 'mandals' without the cages.
Uhm . . . why were you wearing sandals in January?
Drugs. Prescription or otherwise.
The Birks are the clog-type, so when paired with neoprene socks they are actually OK down to around 15 degrees. Still a bit weird, I know. But I couldn't afford real winter shoes last year.
the Chicago lake front path should be a national laboratory for human stupidity.
it is! At times - many times - I'm left frustrated after dealing with the foolishness. I have started to believe that at times it is safer to be in traffic. Scarry.
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