Pave 1, carbon 0

I was in Melbourne for the prestigious 'Melburn-Roobaix', an homage to the Paris-Roubaix bike race. The ride takes in a bakers dozen of paved/cobbled sections of Melbourne's back alleys, and you get the map when you register. It's a completely unsanctioned event which attracts thousands of riders who meander through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, thronging every cafe and pub on the way. It's a fantastic event, although I managed to leave my camera memory card in the computer so I don't have many pictures.

I do have this - the reason why my ride finished prematurely

My fork has a carbon steerer (the tube that goes from the forks through the headtube and which the bars bolt on to). It's a second-hand fork that I've had for 6 years so it's had a good life but I think the combination of a long life, the journey down and the repetitive vibration of the cobblestones proved too much. Luckily it happened when I was climbing at low speed - I stood up, pulled on the bars and there was a horrible cracking & ripping sound coupled with a yielding sensation. I somehow rolled off the front of the bike and escaped with a mildly bruised elbow. I was giggling when I stood up and realised what had happened because it could have been a lot worse - if it had happened on a downhill I could have lost my teeth, my nose or even broken my neck...