I joined the club!

Welcome!!!  Did you have a crowd to appreciate your graceful dismount.  That is always the best way to join the club, it will also get you a reduced rate on a gold membership.

Adios
Dave

Congrats and welcome!  Makes you a little bit less worried about the next time...  No you've gotten it out of the way once! 

Don't worry, it's not so bad.  I joined the club this weekend myself.  Between the onlookers, the people speeding by, and offers to get the sherriff to help me, I think I get the reduced rate on the gold membership. 

Fortunately, it wasn't a very bad fall, I just happened to hit a piece of gravel or something that punctured my knee pretty good, and got a small but serious patch of road rash on my elbow (which still hurts).  The bike is fine. 

There were only about 6 or 7 people riding/walking behind me, and very little traffic.  A couple of people offered help, but most just kept going when they realized what happened.  One woman asked, "Is anything other than your ego bruised?" 

I just got pedals and shoes last week.  I have been out 3 times plus a session in the driveway.  The guy at mt LBS was really helpful and gave me a pep talk as I headed out the door.  His main point being that getting in and out isn't the hard part, its remembering to unclip that people have trouble with.  My new mantra is "unclip, unclip"  Don't worry, I'll post when I join the club

Yeah, I've heard that forgetting thing too.  I'm pretty used to it, considering I was using cages before, so I know there's some pre-stop work that has to be done.

And for all the stops, I was good.  But I haven't figured out the steep hill thing yet. 

Yeah, I think I'll probably have matching road-rash scars on both elbows now.  At least this one didn't require stitches.   

It could be worse, the blood could be dripping onto the carpet.  I hope Eric at least took you out for dinner in order to help heal your battle scars!

Very Nice!  Congratulations, I believe if you draw blood they not only give you a membership in the club but you get a seat on the board of directors.

I am a lifetime member of the same club including its mountain bike chapter.  Although mine have never been in front of a crowd it has left my riding buddies and the squirrels pointing and laughing.