Roadrash

Laugh at yourself and don't take life too seriously.
So this past weekend I finally made time to invest in some bike cleats and clipless pedals for the new bike I got back in February. I was avoiding the upgrade because I honestly was extremely anxious about falling. It took me a year of riding my hybrid, with is heavy low center of gravity and wider tires, to even contemplate the upgrade to the Quintana Roo Tri bike that I have now.
I successfully completed my maiden voyage attached to my bike without any problems (other than it took me 5 minutes to get my left foot to attach to the pedal). Granted it was a slow ride, with no stop signs, traffic lights or cars. So today I decided to commute to work, clips, cleats and all. It is a short 8.5mile bike, mostly on a bike trail. I got the hang of clipping both feet in before I reached the end of my driveway, and made it to work without even a wobble. The uphill climb also meant that I very quickly fell in love with being able to pull and push while pedaling.
On my way home, with only a mile to go, I had just finished climbing the steepest part of the commute and as I effortlessly, and proudly, unclipped my right foot and as my toes started to touch the ground at a red light - it happened. The inevitable. My deepest fears came true, and to the one car in sight, I'm sure appeared as a comedic slow-mo action as I fell.
I'm not sure whose idea it was to put a bike lane on a steep, curving off ramp that banks to the left, let alone to have the nerve to put a light at the top - ha! As I unclipped with my right, and came to a near stop, the road was banked to the left and well... gravity won.
However since the bloodshed was inevitable, I like to dwell on the positives; Only one car was around to witness the spectacle, it wasn't a busy intersection, I wasn't (really) moving, I managed to save "Blue Roo" from any scratches, and managed to only beat up my bad left knee (positive since I can't afford to beat up my 'good' right knee 2 weeks outside of my next Triathlon).
So now that I got the first fall out of the way, and the skinned, roadrashed knee/shin to prove it - I still love my pedals/shoes. I'm VERY grateful that I opted for the adjustable (since getting used to them was so fast), and I can already tell that both knees are very grateful that I went with the style that allows 15 degrees of rotation.

HIGHLY recommended:
Garneau Tri Speed Shoes
"Zero" Clipless Pedals

I honestly can't remember the last time I had roadrash, but from what I hear - I'm glad that I shaved my legs this morning! ;)