Way, way back… when our youngest son, Adam, was around 4 or 5 and learning to ride a 2-wheeler, I was using an 8-mm camera to catch all the excitement. Adam was pedaling down our street, a HUGE smile on his face, when all-of-a-sudden he began to wave excitedly at Barry and me. This wave caused a bit of imbalance. Which led to a great big crash .
I was in such shock that I kept filming. Thank God Adam was fine… and he picked himself up, brushed himself off and got right back on that bike.
That clip is now legendary Couto home movie stuff and it gave Adam a pretty cool nickname. Crash.
This past Saturday, all of that bike riding adventure with Adam came back to me as I tried to learn to ride my bicycle with clip-in shoes. Everyone tells me that I cannot possibly, ever, ever, ever attempt to ride the 56-mile portion of my Half-Ironman (one of my 57 in 52 things I wish to accomplish this year of being 57 years old) without those clip on bike shoes. Things about efficiency and blood flow and muscles and feet and time. I get all of this knowledge and technology… but you are stuck on a bicycle with your feet stuck on the pedals. Learning to “clip-out” as I’ve heard one too many times is not easy.
But I tried.
Here is what happened.
“Crash Couto II”. (Note that Barry keeps filming. Commenting. And I dare say, joking as he narrates the scene even as a good samaritan, carrying a baby, comes to my rescue. He certainly must have been in shock. Ha,ha. Oh… and also note how Jane casually saunters to the site of the crash. Good times.)
I tired it 3 more times (no cameras, please), and each time I crashed. Attached to my pedals. Down. Boom. Ouch (well, maybe I said more than “ouch.”) But not being 4 or 5 years old, like Adam all those decades ago, with all the enthusiasm and potential and happiness and enthusiasm and wonder and beauty of that try-try again thing, I went home and asked Barry to take off my clip pedals and put on my regular pedals.
This Crash Couto needs a little more time.
Adam, this one’s for you!
Oh my goodness Sharon! I was laughing at Barry’s video narration. How funny and when you go down that Good Samaritan just comes running with the baby.
Will you be trying the shoes again 😉
Glad you are ok ((HUGS))
Big time flashbacks to my early years tearing up lawns and the skin on my knees. Great video. At the end it looks like the guy in red looks over at the camera man (dad) as if to say, why did you keep filming and not help the poor lady who went down? Good thing he didn’t hear the laughing commentary! Classic video. Almost looks like it was shot with an 8mm!
I woould be kicking Barry’s butt for laughing on the tape and saying it was funny. I also say lose the clips. You can learn to keep your feet in there without clips and killing yourself,,,,right? I hope you are okay. Thank goodness for good samaritans.
In my defense…well…actually, there is no defense, but in my gut, I knew that she wasn’t really hurt. And as we all know from “America’s Funniest Home Videos” when someone goes down, it’s tough not to laugh first and then pray that they really didn’t get hurt. But, my beautiful, brave, adventurist wife Sharon, you know that I’m your bigger fan and that I love you more than life itself and I’m very proud of you.
Okay Barry, because you are so sweet, you are excused.
Glad you didn’t get hurt! Barry cracked me up! You found a Gem when you found him and vice versa. You looked like a little girl on that bike.
Aww! I loved seeing you- and I am just so inspired you are even doing this! Wow.
Steph
I love seeing you on video, bike crash and all! I also love that he’s narrating that you were helped by a Good Samaritan, while he stands there and watches. I can see my husband doing that, too!
I’m glad you tried the clips out on a soft surface first. My FIL does 100 mile bike rides and tried his out on the road… let’s just say it wasn’t pretty!