Ruminations in Korea

I go everywhere and do everything on my montorcycle.  I commute by bike. 

I usually wear motorcycle boots or, at least, Dr. Marten boots.  However, given the nature of my work, it’s not always possible for me to wear boots to work.  I didn’t wear boots to work the other day.  Unfortunately, that decision resulted in the loss of blood.

Boots are an important, but often overlooked part of motorcycle safety gear. 

I don’t know why bikers choose not to wear boots.  Too bulky?  Too burdensome? Boots don’t provide much protection? There may be some truth to these points.  However, regardless of the validity of those concerns, boots to prevent muffler burns and cuts, scratches, and scrapes to the foot and lower leg.

Case on point:  I hopped on my bike and rode to lunch.  On the way back to the office, I found myself in a situation where I had to move a bit to the right, toward the edge of the road to avoid a pedestrian.  As bad luck and fate would have it, there was a bicycle leaning up against a hedge at the side of the road at exactly that spot.  Because the bicycle was propped against  the hedge, it was partially obscured by the hedge.

I moved to the right to pass between the pedestrian and the hedge.  As I did so, the bicycle pedal hit my bike’s engine guard then something, presumably the pedal, slammed into the top of my foot.  The bicycle hit a few millimeters above where the tongue of my shoe ends and my sock begins.

It felt like someone dropped a very large rock onto my foot and ankle.  After the first wave of  immediate, searing pain passed, I felt the warm stickiness of blood start to soak my sock.

I rode the remaining few minutes back to the office and checked for damage to my bike. There was no damage.  I then limped up to my office and check the damage to me.  There was  deep cut on the top of my foot and my ankle was terribly swollen.  A little ice and a lot of direct pressure stopped the blood.

Twelve hours later, the cut foot and very swollen ankle looked like this:

Had I been wearing boots, my ankle would still be swollen, but I wouldn’t have lost blood.  Boots:  You need them when you need them.