Cycling in San Francisco - Irish Times
Monday, 9 January 2012 |
| 'Twas a lovely day... |
When I was there, I only had one dramatic fall. And while I say 'dramatic', what I really mean is... pathetic. I looked pathetic. And when I say fall, what I really mean is... stumble.
I was heading back towards Nob Hill, where I was staying in a friend's apartment, from the Golden Gate Bridge. As I turned right from Fisherman's Wharf, I realised there was a mountain looming ahead. I looked at it. It looked at me. And I decided I take it on. Hell, I can handle hills. I picked up my speed and went at it full pelt, ready to feel victorious at the peak.
However.
I lasted about 5 seconds before I realised there was no way, no physical way possible I could climb this hill. I was defeated. And quickly, too. So I stopped, swung my leg over and then realised something else. My foot was expecting to land on horizontal ground. It wasn't expecting a 30 degree angle, and it didn't know what to do next. So I fell off my stationary bike. It took me a good few seconds to fall, during which time my shoe somehow fell off too and tumbled down the hill.
I've never been so grateful to be on a deserted street.
Sadly, that anecdote didn't make it into my piece for the Irish Times, which you can read here. But it's worth a read anyway.
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