I was doing one of my usual routes and was going up an extremely steep hill. after this hill, there is a 4 mile long descend, the kind where you will not have to pedal at all and easily reach a max speed of close to 40 mph. I have done this decline at at lest 5-7 times and there are some twist and turns.
Today a decent breeze made a significant difference in cornering and speed. I was going way too fast and hit the break....Bad idea...Going close to 40, my bike started veering of the road and I was bracing myself for a fall. I looked at the side of the road and saw thick trees and brush, I knew if I fell,it would mean breaking something or worse. My bike position was close to a 15degree angle and a foot from the ground, somehow I used my strength and pulled the bike to a straight/upright position. When the bike straightened, I bounced on the road a few times. I would guess that the chance of me not falling couldn't be more than 10%, I was very lucky.This was all happening at 30-40 mph.I think being clipped in actually helped me to lift the bike straight again.
I finished the descent and made a turn to a straight descent where you can pick up speed very fast. I heard hissing and knew I had a flat. I fixed it and enjoyed the rest of the 20 miles. This will not in anyway stop me from riding, but it will definitely make me more cautious in descents. Part of it is due to my lack of experience, I've been riding for only 4 months. It also makes me glad that I don't wear headphones. On the second descend, I was going over 30 and my bike started veering into the road. If I had been distracted, I would have veered into traffic.
I feel totally fine and will be more cautious. Saying that, I will be back on the bike by Saturday.How often do some of you experienced riders have events like this?Do they make you question anything about how you bike?
Today a decent breeze made a significant difference in cornering and speed. I was going way too fast and hit the break....Bad idea...Going close to 40, my bike started veering of the road and I was bracing myself for a fall. I looked at the side of the road and saw thick trees and brush, I knew if I fell,it would mean breaking something or worse. My bike position was close to a 15degree angle and a foot from the ground, somehow I used my strength and pulled the bike to a straight/upright position. When the bike straightened, I bounced on the road a few times. I would guess that the chance of me not falling couldn't be more than 10%, I was very lucky.This was all happening at 30-40 mph.I think being clipped in actually helped me to lift the bike straight again.
I finished the descent and made a turn to a straight descent where you can pick up speed very fast. I heard hissing and knew I had a flat. I fixed it and enjoyed the rest of the 20 miles. This will not in anyway stop me from riding, but it will definitely make me more cautious in descents. Part of it is due to my lack of experience, I've been riding for only 4 months. It also makes me glad that I don't wear headphones. On the second descend, I was going over 30 and my bike started veering into the road. If I had been distracted, I would have veered into traffic.
I feel totally fine and will be more cautious. Saying that, I will be back on the bike by Saturday.How often do some of you experienced riders have events like this?Do they make you question anything about how you bike?