RTW 02.12.2009 - the tergelebok

I think this is the first time I tergelebok while RTW. It happened so fast, in a matter of few seconds the right side of my body decorated with gashes (elbow and knee), and scratches (rib, waist and shoulder). Not a nice sight. Not a nice feeling, either.

 

It happened at the short hill from the Masai shortcut to Taman Bukit Dahlia. I gathered that the road was clear, and I was ready to roll down with high speed and tackle the double turns in style. Suddenly a white kancil emerged from the second turn, and I applied both brakes in response, partly startled. Skidded a bit, before I took the fall. The outcome: gashes and scratches, pain in right shoulder, broken hydrobag right sling buckle, handlebar endcap gashed big time, and FD is not responding very well. Other than that, alhamdulillah, all still as normal. Plus, it means that the brakes I mount on the bike really work well :)

 

I modified the bag's right sling and continued to ride as normal to the office. Surprisingly, I'm climbing Bukit Dahlia with higher speed at 20km/h, compared to the usual 17-18km/h. It's either the 'oh no, I'm already late' driving factor, or merely gear ratio choice. Usually I would use 44T all throughout the journey, and climbing up BD would warrant me to use 4th largest cog. Since the FD is not responsive and it stayed at 32T, I continued on, pairing it with 5th or 6th largest cog. Fortunately the front gear is at 32T, not the granny.

 

What's for tomorrow? Ride on! InsyaAllah. I set up a target of doing RTW for full week, Mon to Fri, taking advantage of the school holidays. A few things need to be done at home tonight - endure family members' comments (read: sympathy), repair the bag's sling, nurse (and admire) the decorations, and change new tires.

 

Oh, another good outcome of this is that Yad (my office's certified first aider) had his first experience of nursing gashes - need not to refer to manual, just followed my guide.

 

Reminder to self: the first aid kit is only less than 200 grams. Bring it along, always.

 

Stats:

Out from home	0713	hours
Arrive office	0750	hous
Ride time	32'41"	(37 mins DTD)
Distance	12.4	km
Ave. speed	22.7	km/h
Max speed	40.7	km/h
Odometer	2748.9	km
Good doggies	3	'tails'

 

If I RTW for another 10 days in December, that'll notch my odometer to the third thousand. InsyaAllah.