Do I Really Need To Fall?

So, I have a couple rides under my belt — but that’s nothing to get cocky about. What I don't have under my belt is my first fall.

I’m still struggling with how to shift gears without making that awful noise that tells every cyclist in a 10-mile radius that you have no idea what you are doing. The last thing I want to worry about is falling! And each time I ride and I don't fall, the anxiety rises one notch higher.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I were riding up in the Hudson Valley in Columbia County. As we were coming into the final third of the ride, we noticed a foal (baby horse)!

It was so close and so cute … I’ve never seen a foal in real life. We turned around and I decided I wanted a photo ... and guess who forgot she was clipped in?

I was so excited about the foal it didn't even cross my mind that I was attached to my bike ... that is, until I was lying on the ground squirming around like a bug on its back!

My first fall!!! Thank God! It wasn't so bad — although being clipped in while you are laying on the ground is a tad awkward.

As I wrestled with trying to unclip, one of the large horses came to get a better look at me squirming around. The horse must have been curious about my ridiculous bike outfit and wondered why I was lying on the ground with a bike attached to my feet!

I’m sure the horse got a good laugh.

I have been told over and over that “everyone falls” and part of me thought that I would be the one that didn’t. Ha! I don't think I'll ever forget my first fall … and I’m happy to know now that it isn’t that bad. It was the horse’s fault!