The motorcycle went one way, he went another.

Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender is recovering from a crash he suffered Sunday on Stave Lake Road in Mission.

Fassbender said he went around a corner and drove over some grass clippings. The bike tires slid on the slippery vegetation, and the wheels went out from under him.

The mayor rolled away from the bike - fortunate, since it went over a short cliff, he said.

Fassbender is now suffering from bruised ribs and lungs, but was back at work early this week and said he's getting through things on painkillers.

He credits his participation in an ongoing fitness challenge with several other local mayors with helping him get through relatively unscathed. He's in better shape than he was a few months ago, Fassbender said.

Fassbender has been an avid motorcycle rider for years, and has taken part in a number of charity rides over the past few years for causes like the Salvation Army's Gateway of Hope facility.