Stay on the trail stupid

Well, quite an eventful morning on the mtb today.  If any of my family are reading this I am A-Ok and I will be on a bike again tomorrow.

I was riding the Yarra trails with JP and CV around Fairfield, it was such a nice morning.  JP and CV took off to ride at their own pace and we agreed they'd catch me on the way back.  They are fast, they got to the end and turned around before I was much more than half way through the section.  I was having a good morning, not totally enjoying the bar mounted light as I couldn't see around the corners but I was feeling safe and riding pretty well.

When the boys caught me CV rode first so I could see with his light as well as mine (my light is really bright, it was just the corners that were not so great) and JP was coaching me from behind.

We came to a bit of an incline that I've ridden up a few times before but about half way up I realised I was in the wrong gear and weighted wrong and the front wheel started lifting.  I shifted my weight but the wheel hit a rock and I bounced off it rather than over it as I wasn't going fast enough.

To my left it was straight up and to my right a very steep drop off with the river a long way below. 

In slow motion I felt my weight shift the wrong way and my bike tilt to the right.  I put my foot out but there was no ground so fell.  I hit the ground a fair way below the trail and then rolled a number of times (felt like 6) before I came to a stop just before the edge into the river.  I heard JP say 'oh no.  ow, ow, ow, ow, ow' as I rolled.

I called out to JP and CV that I was ok and then sat up.  Hey?  Where's my bike?  Oh no, in the river, floating away from me.  Luckily the lights were still working, so I could see where it was.  CV came down to the water and some kayakers pushed it towards him where the both of us could lift it out and up the cliff.

I know I'm lucky that I didn't hurt myself at all. 

I got right back on the bike and rode for another hour.  Adrenaline was major.  Now that it's worn off, I'm bruised and scratched.

Thanks to JP for taking the photos.

The trail.  See the slightly flat rock where there's the split in the log?  That's all it took.

I left the trail where this photo was taken and came to a stop where I'm standing.  The edge of the grass is the drop off to the river.  Close!

Thanks CV for coming to my bike's rescue before it floated away forever. That's him fishing it out down there.

Safe at the top.  Bit of a drop between the trail and where the ground is hey?  The rock is up behind where CV is.

Safe at breakfast.

Running was never this exciting.