Sigh. During yesterday’s awesome CicLAvia I ventured to the northernmost section of the extended route, which ended at Cesar Chavez Avenue by Olvera Street. So I decided to go off the course by making a left onto Cesar Chavez and another left onto Spring and get back on it down at 1st Street to go to its southernmost point by the Coca-Cola Building on Central Avenue.

Dutifully I waited behind a city vehicle in the left turn lane and when the green arrow came I got up off the saddle to get some momentum into the left turn. After clearing the crosswalk, with my left pedal at the top of its turn I pushed down and my chain jumped the rear sprocket and basically with no resistence I free fell in surprise onto the top tube and handlebars. What played out was a couple seconds of me battling gravity and actually managing to stay upright. For a micromoment I was actually amazed to think that I might somehow keep the round side on the down side, but that joy evaporated when I then timbered hard into a heap onto the asphalt.

Fortunately there was little damage to El Naranja, but I somehow managed to sustain road rash to my left shoulder, knee, hip and knuckles, along with a small cut inside my left calf. Judging from the ding in the plastic covering on the left side of my helmet, there was impact between that and the ground as well, which is WHY I ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET.

Emotionally there was that moment of abject embarrassment wallowing there in the middle of the busy intersection where I just wanted to pull the road over me and hide. But of course I got up and moseyed on to the crosswalk where I soon returned the slipped chain to its position and rolled on to enjoy a spill-free blast the rest of the event.

And since my chest-mounted GoPro cam caught the whole brief thing I figured why not share the less than joyful few moments. If you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?