Ka-boom-ka-chink at Catherine Slip

I tried out my new bike shoes and pedals today for the first time. I went for a super slow, leisure ride down the East Side to practice clipping in and unclipping without crowds and traffic. I brought Erinn with me (on foot) as my spotter. We decided to turn around about 1/2 mile short of South Street Seaport (at Catherine Slip to be precise). Erinn pulled a U-ey and I followed. I slowed to a crawl (about 3 km/hour), unclipped my right foot, and then ka-boom-ka-chink. I was down.

Yup. I fell. On my left side, under my bike. Going into this, I knew that everyone falls the first time out in cycling shoes but I was positive that I was going to be the exception. But you know what? It didn't even hurt! I unclipped my left foot, picked myself up, clipped back in and kept on biking. It wasn't until I got almost all the way back home that I noticed this:


Compared to other people's battle wounds, this is nuttin'. I'm planning a longer ride for tomorrow but still planning to stay out of traffic and away from people. Although pigeons are proving to be a more challenging obstacle than other cyclists. They are gutsy!! They stroll right across the bike path without checking to see who/what is coming. I'd run them over but I don't want pigeon guts all over my pretty new bike...