...as my husband fell 8 feet down a ravene on his bicycle, he said that numerous thoughts were racing through his mind: "this is going to hurt, I should have listened to the guy in front of me that said he takes the hills very slow, how should I 'try' to land, I wish those rocks weren't there, my bike is going to be thrashed, I hope I don't break anything, I hope I don't hit my head, Wanda is not going to be happy with me...".

Well, I'm glad to report that 4 days later, he's doing pretty good, finally obtained an x-ray (it's OK) after much scolding by all who spoke with him, and he's hobbling around without a crutch.

He and some other "serious" cyclists were at the top of a path known as "Wildcat" (it not only is known for wild cats in the area, but a wild ride! as the grade is very steep). They were preparing for the descent after a torturous climb, the guy in front of my husband said he didn't take the hills very fast...he headed down, turned a corner, my husband lost sight of him and as he rounded the same corner realized in an instant that he had three choices-veer right and hit the side of the hill, stay the course and take out himself and the guy in front of him, or veer left...in a flash he made the decision to go left and, well, there goes the slow-motion fall.

My husband did have the presence of mind to start yelling for help immediately as he and the other rider were the last down the hill and he knew that the rider would be long gone if he hadn't summoned him right away. The other riders were eventually congregated to "evacuate" my husband. Because they were a signifcant distance from their vehicles, it was quite some time before he arrived home.

He is fine as I stated earlier, but, his beloved bike is totaled. For those of you who are into cycling, you know what a big deal losing a reliable bike can be.

Well folks, he plans on "getting back on the horse" and I hope this story is not a deterrant to newer riders who are just building your confidence (I don't think you'll be going 38 miles per hour down the mountain like my husband)...hey, I fell just standing still on my bike, I lost my balance, couldn't get my toe-clip out in time, and down I went...more embarrassed than anything!

Stay the course and try to have some fun!