We pulled to the side of the road, checking on the bike and my injuries. I assessed them as only flesh wounds and decided we might as well keep riding.
If you're not going to make a great impression on your fairly new boss, you might as well bond with her. She ended up stopping traffic for me after my fall, wiping my wounds with alcohol and later on shouting at (encouraging?) me to continue riding up a hill.
I had honestly never been in so much pain than from that road rash. It is just horrible. I would've sworn off cycling forever if I hadn't bought a bike just two days prior. (Thankfully, the bike is OK, minus a bad tear in the bar tape. But that just makes me look cool, right?)
The first two days after the fall, I covered myself in Brave Soldier Antiseptic Healing Ointment—which I highly recommend—and took over-the-counter pain medication.
More: Overcoming a Cycling Injury
The third day, I stopped the pain medicine and realized I had pain beyond the scrapes. At the urging of the Rapha Ambassador I've been riding with, I went to the doctor for some hip and knee pain, just to make sure I didn't have a hairline fracture.
The doctor watched me limp and moved my knee around, noting when I had pain. She took an X-ray, and told me no running or cycling for two weeks. It was 10 days before the Rapha event.
So, I've spent months getting used to an uncomfortable saddle and logging miles just so I can miss the actual event. This is a family-friendly website, so I'll keep it clean: I'm less than thrilled.
But one person I work with put it in perspective for me:
"It's not so much about the event," she said. "It's about getting into cycling and sticking with it, and that's what you're doing."
And she's right. After all, I did just buy a bike.
Make sure to follow the ride Sunday on Instagram at @activedotcom.
Read the rest of The Peddler series.
Ready to Ride? Search for a cycling event.