My wife and I went down to Ocean City, Maryland on October 8, 2010. As she is not a century rider but loves the beach, this arrangement was perfect. This was my second century ride on my fixed gear bike. The Sea Gull Century out of Salisbury, Maryland, is well run and well attended. About 6,000 riders participated, making this the largest century ride on the East Coast. I tried out the Snow Hill Century variant this year, and was pleased with my choice. As with the others, it is not pancake, but basically flat. A few undulations are present, but nothing that I would call a hill. There is great support during the ride. Thanks to the Maryland State troopers for stopping traffic at all most intersections along the route. Particularly attractive was the pier at Snow Hill, the 77 mile rest stop.
After the 77 mile rest stop, which included great cherry pie, I continued on the beautiful farm roads that characterize the bulk of this ride. At the 82 mile point I was on a empty country farm road, with gorgeous fields on either side. I decided to stop and take a short butt and hydration break, While checking my route map I heard the voices of a group of cyclists coming up behind me. What danger could there be on this wide, unoccupied stretch of country road?
Then...BLAMMO! I was flying through the air, flipped upside down, and landed on my back. At first I did not know what happened, but it soon became evident that one of the group approaching me did not see me pulled over on the right side of the road. At first I just lay there in a stunned state. Lots of following riders stopped to check on us. All of my limbs moved, and I was not in pain. Buddy, the guy who hit me, had road rash on his elbow and a banged up knee. After checking the bikes, we both eventually remounted, and, I am glad to say, finished the ride under our own power. My neck and back were stiff, but I sucked it up and rode it in. The fixed gear Pinarello was lively on the road, and perfect for a century ride of this type. Will I ever go back to geared bikes? The next day, Helen and I rode on the Ocean City Boardwalk. We all had a great time
