P
Padders
Guest
I regularly commute along the Thames cycle path between Teddington Lock and
Barnes bridge and often have to trudge my way though delightful Thames mud
after a high tide, and on the odd occasion wade through knee high water.
Which, despite the cold weather creeping upon us, I've always found
immensely enjoyable. I might get to work covered head to toe in mud, but
it's damn fun.
But it had to happen eventually, bombing it along around the back of the
Mortlake brewery after a high tide, swerved to avoid some flotsam (or is it
jetsam?) brought in by the tide, hit Thames mud covered concrete, and the
bike disappeared. Chinned the concrete, literally.
Got to work, how? No recollection of getting back on the bike, but at some
point I'm sitting at my desk covered in mud, blood, scrapes and bruises,
much to the horror of my manager who promptly drives me to Kingston
hospital.
Result: Large lump on chin - initial contact point. Large chunk of flesh
gouged from knee, and the usual assortment of scrapes and bruises. BUT,
after much examination nothing seriously wrong with the head, a sore neck
from the impact on chin, but all in all nothing too bad. Despite landing
chin first the knee seems to have come out the worst, nasty deep chunk
flesh missing, filled nicely with rat-urine infested mud.
Oh, and no helmet. Although a knee guard of some sort might have been
handy.
--
Padders
Barnes bridge and often have to trudge my way though delightful Thames mud
after a high tide, and on the odd occasion wade through knee high water.
Which, despite the cold weather creeping upon us, I've always found
immensely enjoyable. I might get to work covered head to toe in mud, but
it's damn fun.
But it had to happen eventually, bombing it along around the back of the
Mortlake brewery after a high tide, swerved to avoid some flotsam (or is it
jetsam?) brought in by the tide, hit Thames mud covered concrete, and the
bike disappeared. Chinned the concrete, literally.
Got to work, how? No recollection of getting back on the bike, but at some
point I'm sitting at my desk covered in mud, blood, scrapes and bruises,
much to the horror of my manager who promptly drives me to Kingston
hospital.
Result: Large lump on chin - initial contact point. Large chunk of flesh
gouged from knee, and the usual assortment of scrapes and bruises. BUT,
after much examination nothing seriously wrong with the head, a sore neck
from the impact on chin, but all in all nothing too bad. Despite landing
chin first the knee seems to have come out the worst, nasty deep chunk
flesh missing, filled nicely with rat-urine infested mud.
Oh, and no helmet. Although a knee guard of some sort might have been
handy.
--
Padders