I fell over

This is my new bike. I got it this spring after saving up and drooling over it for 3 years. It is a Specialized Allez Triple. I like it.

I've been riding it a lot the last couple weeks and finally, the inevitable happened. You see, I have those shoes that lock into the pedals and so when you come up to a stop you have to unclip your shoe and lean over to that side. I've been doing very well with this up until yesterday.

It was at the intersection of Belleview and Meyer Blvd. that it happened and of course there were plenty of cars driving both directions to see me, laugh and point.

I simply unlocked my left shoe and stopped (like usual), but then I seemed to ignore the fact that I needed to lean to the left side and, of course, the bike started leaning to the right. The next 1.5 seconds seemed to have lasted about 41 minutes. It was absolutely one of those "slow motion" moments in which I had the following line of thoughts go through my mind...
1. I'm leaning the wrong way.
2. Put your foot down.
3. I can't it's still locked in.
4. I'm falling.
5. UNLOCK YOUR FREAKIN FOOT!!!
6. I'm still falling.
7. Please come unlocked.
8. I'm still falling.
9. It's not coming unlocked.
10. Ouch. I fell...

silence

11. All those people driving by just saw that.
12. Maybe if I just sit here on the curb it will look as though I meant to do it.
13. Are all those cars finally gone?
14. Ok, get up and act as though nothing happened.
15. Ride home as quick as possible.

So I had all those thoughts in the course of about 4 seconds.

It was not my best achievement. But I did get an idea for a sermon out of it...

oh well.

peace,
glo