Biffed it...

 

Where did the term biffed it come from?

 

It is believed that the term originated in the early 1990s in Europe. At the time, the sport of mountain biking was picking up popularity and people were starting to use the term 'biff' to describe a crash or fall while riding.

 

No, I didn't "biff it."  I did get out on the CTX this afternoon,  wanting to try out the "cooling vest" that Joan ordered (from Vine) that arrived last night.  First order of business, though: putting down a garage floor liner.  We moved bikes out of the garage...

While I was moving bikes around, Joan got the liner put in place...

Joan suggested we put bikes in their diagonally, to, perhaps, make them easier to get one bike out.  Great idea!  Let's see how that works...

We tried a couple different arrangements before we agreed on the one immediately above.  Easy in and out with any of the three bikes.  Her bike has been to the back of the garage, since I ride more often than she does - No need to move any of the other bikes to take out any particular choice.

 

One other chore to get done today: take the Equinox for an oil change - I went to a Valvoline Instant Oil Change at the retail area a couple miles from our place.  Not quite "instant," but I didn't have to wait to get into a bay, didn't have to get out of the car, and I was done in less than 15 minutes.  Close enough.

With that done, I started gearing up to take the CTX out.  It was already 90º - this would be a good test of the cooling vest.  I wet down the vest, wrung it out, slipped it on, then put the new white jacket on over it.  Yep, it feels cool.  In a damp sorta way.

The manufacturer says it won't leak water on you, as long as you have thoroughly wrung it out.  Heading out, I could feel the cool on my torso... still a hot breeze coming at you everywhere else.  Hey, it is the freakin' desert.  I stopped for gas a couple miles from home - normally, in this kind of heat, I would be a sweatball when not moving.  I was in the shade of the overhead at the gas station, and... it wasn't bad.  65mpg, in case you were interested... not the 86.5mpg I got on the last tank on the Burgman, but still acceptable.

Some surface roads, stop & go, and then off to the mountain.  I was just about to the high point when I came across an accident that had just happened: a guy on what looked like an older YZ 125 had gone off the road, slid on the rocks and sand, and went for a tumble.  I got there as he was just starting to get to his feet.  A guy in a car had already stopped on the road with his flashers on, and was helping the downed guy up.  Another motorcyclist with the guy that "biffed it" had turned around and was just getting off his bike.

I asked the guy, "Does anything feel broken?"  (I don't think so.)  "Can you move your arms and legs?  And turn your head?"  (Yeah, I think so)  About that time, the guys legs got a little wobbly.  "That's the adrenaline backing off."  We moved him to a big rock to sit on.  Looking at the guy, there were scratches across the front of his helmet and face-shield (good thing he was wearing a full-face helmet) and his long sleeve t-shirt was torn at the elbows and full of desert plant debris - he obviously slid a bit.

His friend picked up the bike - the seat was torn off, the plastics on the right side were cracked, and the handlebars looked a bit tweaked.  I talked with the guy to make sure he had his wits about him.  "Do you want me to call you an ambulance?"  (No!  I'm fine - just a bit achy!)  "Yeah, you're going to be a lot more achy tomorrow.  What do you want to do?"  (If my bike is rideable, I think I just want to go home.)  It took his friend a half dozen tries to get the bike to fire up.  The guy seemed steady on his feet.  Heading down the mountain, I took the front, the guy behind me, his friend behind him, and the couple in the car behind them.  I kept an eye on him in my mirror, and he seemed to be riding OK.  He is lucky he didn't hit a big rock (boulder) when he went off the road.

We parted company at the first main drag out of the park, me heading west, the two guys going north.  Not sure how the guy wound up on the wrong side of the road, since it wasn't on a tight curve.  This road is not forgiving of any inattention.  He's lucky he "low sided" and didn't hit a boulder or a car coming the other way.  I didn't take a camera along, and didn't get my phone off the bike... so, no photos.

Back home for me.  I got out of my riding gear and Joan took a photo of me wearing the cooling vest...

It did the job - still giving me some cooling a couple hours after I first put it on.  While I felt clammy, my shirt (under the vest) wasn't wet.  It is one more option for riding in the heat.  (It was 93º when I got home.)  Not exactly stylish, but it serves a purpose.