I was noodling about on a route I’ve ridden hundreds of times when a plastic bag caught my eye. It was a fall day and the wind was blowing in such a way that I found myself having my very own American Beauty moment, watching the bag float around aimlessly while pondering life’s existential quandaries.
Twenty seconds later, I find myself pulling said plastic bag out of my rear wheel and assessing the damage…one rear GP4000 was shot, an exploded rear HED Ardennes, an Ultegra rear derailleur, and worst of all a cracked rear triangle on my carbon frame…
The pleasant fall wind that was artfully blowing the plastic bag around decided to shoot said plastic bag into my rear wheel like a heat seeking missile, there was nothing I could do to avoid it.
The bag locked up my rear wheel and put me into a skid, catching my rear derailleur and simultaneously wrapping the cable around the triangle and cracking the frame.
Moral of the story, don’t ponder life’s existential questions. Just focus on riding your bike and all will be well with the world.