Going off road for the first time the roads remind me of Avenue du Marechal, Brussels. The bikes cope very well; maybe I should buy an Enfield? Broken tarmac gives way to dirt and intermittent mud and gravel. Not so bad at a constant slow pace, but the front tyre in particular does not like mud and offers scant grip. Don't try to steer and stay off the front brake are the key points...... Of course I know that now! Going into a muddy corner slightly hot, I panic, grab the front brake and try to steer. Oops! My first off.
The bike folds under and I land on my hip. The bike is relatively unscathed with a twisted throttle, but my hip hurts. The one piece of armour missing is a hip protector and I'm bruised. Not to worry it's all sitting down on the way back.
I hear others have come off in similar fashion and I'm fortunate to escape the "skidmark of the day" yellow t-shirt the following morning. I didn't even come second! What a relief. Ibuprofen and Tiger balm administered, a quick walk up hill into town, dinner and bed. 6am start!!!! :-(
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