Tumbling dice (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Tumbling dice

1:00pm Saturday 7th June 2008

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Two big spills on the mountain bike this week… both within about half a mile of each other.
When I say ‘big’ for me that’s an over-the-handlebars job, face-down-in-the-mud sort of thing.
First was on a particularly boggy stretch of track, with puddles and mud much deeper than I had reckoned with.
One, inevitably, caught me totally by surprise, and over I went as the front wheel stuck fast in deep glop.
Even after I’d got back to my feet and checked that no one had actually seen the spectacular tumble, the bike was still vertical, perfectly poised and balanced in its muddy resting place.
Then, on a very… and I mean very, steep descent on very.. and, yes, I mean very… rough terrain, I halted, feet still on pedals, to catch a quick survey of where best to go.
I forgot to tell the bike, though, that I had stopped, and over came the back end, spilling once again on to the ground.
This time the bike followed, and dropped gently on to my bonce.
And this time, alas, a fellow cyclist was given the pleasure of seeing the mini-disaster unfold, and he did well to ask if I was okay before sneaking a crafty guffaw of laughter!
All this, too, after plunging one of my feet into several inches of muddy waters earlier in the trip trying to get through an impossible (for me) boggy mess.
I was good and ready for a pint or two at the pub… though whether I was welcome there in such a bedraggled state I didn’t care to inquire.
Still, all good fun and what it’s all about, to be sure!