Even Presidents Struggle to Unclip

• President Joe Biden had a minor bike crash this weekend in Delaware.

• His foot got caught in the cage on his right pedal as he came to a stop to speak to some fans.

• White House staff assures public that it was just a minor mishap and he is uninjured.

We’ve all had it happen at some point or another: You’re just out for a nice bike ride and see someone you want to talk to, or maybe there’s a stop sign. You slow down, plan on unclipping or removing your foot from the cage around your pedal, miscalculate, and BAM, you’re on the ground. It’s embarrassing, sure, but it could be worse: There could be millions of people who see it happen. That’s what happens when you’re the President of the United States and you have a minor mishap on your bike.

This weekend, President Joe Biden was out for a casual ride—as he often does on weekends when he’s able to spend time at his beach home in Delaware with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. According to Jalopnik.com, Biden was coming to a stop to greet people waiting for him at Cape Henlopen State Park. Video footage shows him slowing to a stop, getting his left foot out of his pedal (which has a toe strap), then putting his left foot down. When he goes to remove his right foot from the cage, though, he seems to overbalance, then gently topples to the right side.

Thankfully, he wasn’t hurt, though the Secret Service did have to rush to his aid to get his bike off of him. (Don’t you wish you had a crew of helpers for when that happens to you?)

You can watch the whole incident unfold on this clip from ABC News:

The president manages to awkwardly get to his feet and seems to be good-natured about the incident, saying his foot got caught in the toe clip. The cycling internet has come to his defense, with hundreds of comments detailing similar situations and assuring the non-cycling public that this kind of this happens all the time.

The White House later released a statement assuring people the Biden wasn’t hurt in the fall, and it was just an awkward accident rather than a sign of anything more serious:

“As the President said, his foot got caught on the pedal while dismounting and he is fine. No medical attention is needed. The President looks forward to spending the rest of the day with his family.” (Via CNN)

We’re also impressed that despite his new digs in the White House, Biden appears to still be riding his trusty old Trek FX Hybrid that we first spotted him on in 2020. The bike is still equipped with cantilever brakes and he has a top tube bag attached. He’s eschewed bike shorts in favor of more casual exercise shorts, and is sporting bright blue Nikes—not the shoes we’d recommend for riding flat pedals, since the soft foam on sneakers tends to get damaged by pedals and the laces may catch in toe cages.

In fact, it might be time for Biden to consider swapping his toe cages for a set of clipless pedals. Toe cages are notoriously difficult to use, and aren’t nearly as efficient as a good set of clipless pedals. While clipless pedals may initially intimidate the leader of the free world, the ability to easily clip in and out and improve power transfer is well worth it. (We also have a tutorial here on how to start riding with clipless pedals without falling over.)

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