Fuck, No!

It was a beautiful autumn day, not a cloud in the sky, the sun was out, with barely a breath of wind, so what do you do on such a day?? You go for a ride of course.

We had grown the distances of our rides ten fold, Hubby had even got me riding the "Akatarawa's" which is a two way winding road of about 30 odd km's, and isn't overly wide in most parts. It's actually a very pretty road, and does wonders for your cornering skills.

This particular day, we decided to head north, I wanted to ride the saddle road, and we thought we'd head over Vinegar Hill, a couple of fun twisty, bendy roads to ride.

I was feeling super stoked with myself and really happy with how my riding was constantly improving with each ride better than the last. For years, I had watched other women ride, and I'd watch them, thinking, I want to ride just like that, floating along, looking so effortless, with the wind in my hair, feeling total freedom, looking like a bad ass bikie chick, with hubby at my side.

When other woman riders were riding around us, I'd say to hubby 'I want to ride like that'...........and he'd say...... Babe, you actually are! Was such a buzzy feeling.

I was doing it!!! And what's more, I was loving it!! falling more and more in love with every ride, whether it was on the back or on my own bike. It was just awesome.

We swooped over the Saddle Road, me, grinning from ear to ear at how much fun it was. There is no feeling like being IN THE BEND of a road on a bike, and the Saddle Road, was just one bend after another. Not an overly long road, you're only on it for about 15 to 20 minutes, but still fun.

We popped out at the south end of Palmerston North, heading over to Ashurst to make our way through Feilding to Vinegar Hill, I just couldn't get the grin off my face.

Vinegar Hill, again, had me grinning from ear to ear, just so much fun. We had been riding for about 2 1/2 hours, and stopped off in Taihape for coffee and a bite to eat. Chit chatting about the roads we had ridden and the things we saw along the way, and which way we were going to head next.

We decided the Gentle Annie was the way we were going to go, heading to Napier for Lunch, then home from there......................

However, that's not quite how it worked out.

My world went into a series of 'events' entirely in slow motion, I had come around a corner where there was newly laid gravel. The gravel was sucking me and the bike out and off the road, I was looking for the exit of the corner I was in, leaning over and willing the bike to get around that corner and get back on course, (trying to remember everything I had been taught, look where you want the bike to go............ ease off the throttle, don't break in gravel, but it was like the road had opened up and was swallowing me whole. I had JUST about got the bike out of the pull, but got caught in long grass which wrapped around the foot peg and yanked the bike out from me.

I could see hubby riding around the next corner out of sight, all the while I'm yelling

FUCK FUCK FUCK.

I knew I was gonna come off, and I was thinking so many things all at once,

"I'm coming off,"

'This is gonna hurt',

'I CAN NOT damage my leg,'

'I CAN NOT damage my arm',

'I can't believe I'm coming off AGAIN'.

'I can't believe this is happening,'

'How am I thinking all of this? 'I'm still in the air'

'I haven't landed yet, that's gong to hurt'

'Where is the bike"

'I don't want ANYONE to know'.

'This is so different from the first one, I'm remembering EVERYTHING?'

I folded my arm and my leg in as much as I could, while colliding with the bike in mid air, still thinking FUCK, what? Seriously WAHT THE FUCK are the chances!!! TWICE REALLY????

I landed with a thud to the ground, looking around and thinking, ok I'm good, ok, Im actually good, my leg is ok, I can move it, my arm is ok, I can move it.

I am instantly over heating, I can't breath properly, thinking I'm just winded.

Hubby has seen the entirety of what just happened in his wing mirror, turning around dumping his bike and running to me, all I can hear is him yelling Babe, Babe, talk to me, I can't hear you, are you ok, what's hurt? Babe, can yo move?

Me - 'Take my helmet off, get my jacket off. I'm so hot, I think im just winded, I just need to catch my breath. Where is my bike?

'Don't worry about your bike'.

I got up on my feet, but bent over, I walked over to my bike, it looked ok, I thought sweet, I just need to get my breath back, then I'll be good, we can ride home and no one will know.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head, everything went black and white, and I hit the deck.