Chicago's Tweed Ride (and My Crash)

On Saturday, the inaugural Chicago Tweed Ride took place. London and San Francisco have held such rides recently, and it’s fun to see how the different cities interpret the ride. Chicago’s a good city to carry on the tweedy fun. The ride toured Chicago’s speakeasies, stopping at a couple for food and drinks, which were needed as the ride started at 1 and ended at 7. I enjoyed riding with so many others who appreciate slow bikes and style. I did not know a soul, and had a good time meeting everyone. Without further ado, I present Chicago’s tweedy goodness.

As my luck would have it, I crashed pretty hard near the end of the ride. Train tracks. They got me. Buggers. (For those who don’t know, train/tram tracks are evil and will take you down if you don’t approach them perpendicularly.) I thought I took the tracks at enough of an angle; obviously I did not. Part of my wheel got stuck in the track’s crevice, immediately throwing my bike to the ground. Then as I was still surveying the damage to my body, the bells and lights started to warn of an on-coming train so I had to scramble out of the way.

I thought at first that the crash was worse, but I just ended up with a skinned and bloody knee, slightly bloody nose, and … two chipped front teeth. Ugh! My teeth do not hurt, but they look pretty bad (although everyone swears it’s hardly noticeable). I’ll spare you close-up pictures of my mouth, but I will have to visit the dentist to see what cosmetic work can be done. Many thanks to everyone on the ride, especially the girl with the band-aids and the guy who held my bike. The worst part, other than my teeth, was the embarrassment of having stopped the entire ride and worrying that I had killed the day. I’m also easily embarrassed by being the center of attention. Happily, once I determined that I was going to live, we all continued on the ride.

Tweed outfit, complete with chipped tooth and bloody knee

And I won the prize for Most Snappy Lass, which is nice. But, really, how could they not give it to the girl who chipped her teeth.