Thought I'd bring you all up to date on things.... I was really looking forward to my bike lesson yesterday. Kawasaki 500... fabulous!!
Very excited and the weather was wonderful.
Spent 3 glorious hours riding and finally cracked the U turn so very very very happy about that.. even though it needs a bit of fine tuning.. I'm not scared of it any more coz I did it lots of times! yayy!!
Loved every second., knew what mistakes I made when I made them and felt really good to be back on the 500. Instructor was very pleased and I spent the entire time grinning like a loon.
BUT... things weren't so great on the ride home this time... same bit of road I'd had such a good ride on last lesson... went disasterously wrong this time. He told me afterwards that I'd had 'target fixation' and that was why what happened,happened...
At about 4.30pm I hit the kerb of the central reservation of the dual carriageway at around 70mph....:cry
within the legal speed limit and the speed at which all the traffic was travelling)
. My instructor told me that I had 'target fixation' and explained what that was and how to avoid it/deal with it in future. I felt
really sorry for him... must have been quite scary to watch me chuck his bike down the road! Not to mention galling... the bike earns him money... I feel bad about that...
I'm
extremely fortunate in that
I didn't hit tarmac, kerb, cars or crash barriers... instead I landed on the left side of my head and my left shoulder on the grass verge in the central reservation and then did a stunning impersonation of a rotivator for I don't know how far (quite a distance I think) before coming to a stop.... (I could have popped in a row of seed potatoes at the same time!).. lots of rubbish on the grass though.. I spotted at least 6 different fizzy drink bottles!
I realised I was still alive and in one piece so quickly got up to check the bike
and then was told to sit on the crash barrier and take it easy... I felt ok really.
Bit embarassed...
Embarassingly, I've pretty much written the bike off too :roll: and have done a good job of temporarily mullering my left knee ligaments :cry: . I ache a bit in several different places and have the odd bruise here and there but thankfully that's it.
Thank God (and I really mean that) for good leathers and great boots and a fantastic jacket with body armour... and superb gloves with protectors on... not to mention my lush lid (which I now have to replace) with which I could returf my garden from the contents of the chin vents! Apparantly I must have relaxed too as I rolled... I dunno... I just remember rolling and stopping... :sigh:
Despite all that, I had absolutely
every intention of carrying on today with my lessons, but, as I ended up in the hospital at 3am being xrayed (the ambulance crew on the scene of the accident didn't check me over because I felt ok at the time...) and I am struggling a bit with walking, I know there is no way I can ride a bike right now. Otherwise I would.. in fact, if the bike had been rideable I probably would have ridden it back still.
So, I am absolutely and utterly gutted that I can't carry on this week when I am positive I would have passed my test Friday ... and I have to buy a new lid too! (It was worth every penny of the £110 I spent on it!)
Loads of silver linings though... I'm alive
, no-one else was hurt or involved, I didn't break any bones, I can take the test when recovered from op (hopefully late summer before new test but if not they hey ho...)... from Monday my leg will be resting along with the rest of my body so all can heal at the same time!
(I'm not going to tell them about the accident.... hopefully won't be hobbling then!) PLUS... I now have lots more time to do all the other stuff I need to in prep of hospital Monday!
So... loads to be happy about and thankful for...
Anyway.. that's the end of my lessons for now :cry: , but not for good... despite what happened I believe I can & will be a good rider.. I made a mistake... like I say...the instructor told me it's called 'target fixation'... boy oh boy... I won't EVER make it again and I am very glad of the chance to learn from it rather than be pushing up the daisies right now!
So... that's it for now! But... as they say... the show ain't over 'til the fat lady sings... and I ain't fat anymore and I ain't singing so... onwards and upwards!
Other updates to follow... WPML, PQM (LOADS about him!!!).... work... Zoe... the cat... blah de blah blah...
