Road Ride Report PCH Century/My First Crash

Discussion in 'The Roadie Hangout' started by rustin, Feb 13, 2010.

  1. rustin

    rustin _

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    I started out on PCH without a definite plan except “North”. As always, Laguna Beach traffic was fun. I enjoyed the honk that I got from some guy because I was taking up a lane. If I could have talked to him I would have said, “Good sir, what do you propose I do? Would you like me to ride through the parked cars? I regret to inform you that I have no such ability. My sincerest apologies and I do hope that being forced to change lanes or slow down does not completely ruin your life.”

    At this intersection there was a light that was red for no apparent reason both times that I passed it. Has anyone seen this before? Does anyone know why?

    In North Laguna Beach, I saw that sign that says Newport Beach a miles, Long Beach b miles and I impulsively decided to bike to Long Beach. Not only did I not bring food since I wasn’t planning on biking that far, I also forgot to bring water. I discovered this when I was forced to stop at MacArthur. At that point in time I figured that I’d just cross those bridges when I got to them. Was this a bad strategy? Yes.

    After dealing with traffic in Newport Beach, I was surprised by Huntington Beach: unobstructed ocean views, a quality shoulder (especially northbound), and no hills. How foreign. Never before in my life have I seen such flat road (shows you how much/where I’ve traveled). The views were spectacular from both directions. The part of PCH in Huntington Beach that is not in the shopping/housing area in particular was really relaxing. I found myself able to get into a good pace without having to worry about cars.

    At some Starbucks in Huntington Beach, I asked a group of three bikers for route advice. They suggested that I out and back PCH with SGRT for extra miles. By the time I got to SGRT, I had ridden about 40 miles, so I just said, “Why not make it a century?” While I was stopped on SGRT, planning, these guys came along and asked me if I knew where I was going. It’s always good to meet nice people.

    I got off SGRT, because I figured that I should probably get some water. I took PCH to 2nd street. There I went to Starbucks and, conveniently, got a cup of water that both fit in my holder and was enough for the rest of the ride. Then I took 2nd St to Appian to Park to 7th to PCH back to SGRT. I rode on until I got to the point where my average speed just started to collapse. At the suggestion of another cyclist, I took Carson St to Hawaiian Gardens. I was low on cash ($5), so I figured that the 99 cents store would be a good choice. I bought a 3 lb bag of oranges, because I figured, hey if oranges are good enough for runners then they’re good enough for me. In retrospect, this was too little too late. As the sugar from the oranges kicked in, my average speed began to recover, but before long it collapsed. I ate the remaining oranges by Beach Boulevard and this kept me going for a while. On the way back, in Newport Beach, I found myself going faster than the cars which I found amusing. But, by the time I got to Laguna Beach I was out of energy and every mile hurt. Speaking of hurt…

    I was biking on the shoulder of a two lane, downhill road not too far from my house. Then, a woman on a beach cruiser said, “HEY! SURPRISE! I’m going to take a left turn NOW instead of merging into the car lane, waiting, and then turning”. I was accelerating and had little time to react. I slammed my brakes as hard as I could, but it wasn’t enough. My front tire met her back tire and I went down. Looking up from the ground, I saw her unscathed on the other side of the road asking me “Are you okay?” NO I’M NOT OKAY YOU STUPID JERK! IF I WAS OKAY, DO YOU THINK THAT I WOULD BE LYING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD? MAYBE YOU MISSED THE PART WHERE YOU CAUSED ME TO CRASH! She didn’t hit and run, but at the same time she didn’t help me. Luckily, someone showed up and got out of their car to help me. The guy seemed like he knew something about cycling, because he asked me if I was clipped in. After I got up, I just wanted to get home as quickly as possible so I thanked the guy and left. Once I got home, I surveyed the damage. My bike and helmet suffered no damage and my phone suffered some cosmetic damage. Also, I got a series of cuts on the right side of my body as well as pain in my right hip, arm, and hand; I'm going to be out for at least a week. As per my motto, it could have been worse. But what really kills me is that I’d already biked 95 or so miles, I’d gone through north and southbound Laguna Beach and Newport Beach traffic, I almost got hit by a door in Corona del Mar (I was riding out of reach, but seeing the door come that close was scary), just so I could get taken down my some idiot when I was almost home. At least my bike is okay.

    Anyone else have similar stories? I remember reading an entertaining RR about a ride that turned into a century a while back (I think that it was on PCH/SART). Any similar crash stories?
     
  2. davidB

    davidB Active Member

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    Sorry to hear about your crash, but that seems like a hell of a route with little to no supplies. what were you thinking? :lol:

    If it's the same sign I'm thinking of, it says Newport - 4 miles, Long Beach 22.

    There were definitely some crazies out there today, hell, we almost got into it with a guy in a parking lot hellbent on running our bikes over because they were blocking a parking spot at taco bell. I almost got nailed by a guy opening his door in that crazy Newport traffic you experienced. Otherwise, a pretty good day to be out there riding with the good weather along PCH.

    http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/roadie-hangout/38855-40-mile-bike-ride-turns-into.html
     
  3. dirtvert

    dirtvert Whine on!

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    3 pounds of oranges? really?

    be safe out there.
     
  4. dirtmistress

    dirtmistress AKA Roadiemistress

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    When I first started riding, I used my old rigid mountain bike, a Fuji, and put slicks on it.
    I did the Solvange century and was totally blown at the end. Not even thinking straight at all.
    AS I pedaled into town, heading towards the finish, I recognized the street I was on and saw the hotel I was staying at and thought;" Oh great, I'll run to the room and get...." Who knows what. So I abruptly made a right turn in the middle of an intersection with a gazillion bikes all around and promptly T-boned a guy on a bike.
    I fell to the pavement and laid on my ass looking up at the guy because he did not go down. He must have had incredible patience and restraint. I just kept asking him if he was OK. If he was hurt. Ummm..who's in the street moron.:lol: I rolled to my room and I swear, I filled the tub and laid in a hot bath.

    Another first, The Tour De Sewer. I'm new. We are on some river path and someone has lost a pump. Look!! A pump! Slam on brakes and begin to make u-turn with cyclists coming up behind me screaming at me.
    Why are they so crabby??

    Now when I ride, I know what to watch out for,especially on bike paths, I have been that person before!
     
  5. GeorgiaOfTheJungle

    GeorgiaOfTheJungle THE Penultimate Mtb'er

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    GREAT RR! It was clever, funny & overall entertaining. I look forward to reading more about your future riding adventures (but, I beg you to at least carry a water bottle) :)

    My own tales, that pale in comparison and are much overtold:

    I set out to do the MS 150. Being that I'm not a complete foolish cycling freak, I was going to do the 50/50 option (50 miles on Sat, another 50 on Sun), for a total of 100 miles over the weekend. The other option, a century on Sat followed by another 50 on Sunday was just insanity. So, I trained for a 50 mile ride, for months, the whole time I laughed at the silliness of the freaks training to do the entire 100miles.

    The day of the ride, I made plans to meet John at the finish line, working out my approximate finish time as well as all needed supplies in hand (plus those of the rest stops). The ride was great fun, some nasty headwinds in a few sections, but I worked in a paceline with a few other cyclists. We hit a rest stop in Oceanside a bit early, opting to continue on instead of waiting for them to set up, since my finish was only a few more miles away. Then, a funny thing happened, I passed the finish line. Turns out, the paceline folks were doing the 100miles. We stopped at the next rest stop, where I called John to tell him that I'd be a bit late. I completed my first century that day--with the help of a few others. Not as bad as a century on my own, but my first lure into the century world. It was a blast, though I was still pretty worked at the end!

    As for a crash, my worst one was during a race. We had completed all but the last lap of the state championship crit race in SLO. Rounding the last corner, I counted up the riders ahead to find myself positioned just right for the final sprint, when this happened: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLPyqJtKjGI Nothing like looking at your data to find 34.5mph then a flat line. A woman to the left of me bumped another rider, sending her flying across the field, her front wheel crossed my path, taking out the rider to the right of me, both of their front wheels bounced up, leaving me pondering the thought of bunny hopping over; given the height of their wheels, I opted to superman out--the resulting concussion and residual headaches sidelined me for a few weeks.

    Another time, I was in a pack of riders heading down a street when the light ahead started changing, from green to yellow. We started to sprint across, when a few decided they weren't going to make it. I T-boned the guy in front of me as he made a quick stopping right. He stayed up, I bounced off. I was a bit grateful though, sprinting out was stupid--better to fall with a rider than a car. No injuries. Then there was Maxwell's last roadie ride.....beware of wet railroad tracks, at the very least, pay attention when crossing! Injured: pride (bruises don't count) ;)
     
  6. mingo1

    mingo1 Yeti-Fat Boy

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    Hmmmm.....

    Not trying to beat you up on such a great ride. But why would you ride a century with no water or snacks???

    Anyone that has a little cycle experience would never roll without basic H20....or just a plain PB & J for fuel.

    I ride both road and Mtb and always carry just a little extra just in case I do have the legs to make the ride longer.

    Maybe a pre-ride check list would be helpful

    Pre-ride Check List
    1. Bike
    2. Helment
    3. Water.......
    4.
    5.

    Ride Smart.:wave:
     
  7. Fewinhibitions

    Fewinhibitions Always be a moving target

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    Entertaining RR story.

    Ending of the ride sucked though. Definitely the idiot's fault on the cruiser.

    Not trying to be a dick, but having been on both sides of your experience...Proper nutrition/hydration = quicker/clearer reflexes.
     
  8. injuredKnee

    injuredKnee New Member

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    First RR without ride pictures that's better than ones with pictures, at least to me. Thanks for sharing
     
  9. kanga

    kanga Active Member

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    Some of my favorite rides have been solo rides with a destination of "somewhere that way". The bare minimum nourishment and hydration that I always carry on road rides at least, is a small plastic thing called a credit card.... (or debit card).

    They say most car accidents happen within a few miles of home. Is it true for bike accidents too? I wonder....

    Thanks for sharing!
     

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