Well, it was bound to happen one day. I am one of the most aware and skilled urban cyclists I know. In 30 years riding the roads I have had only a hand full of accidents, all but one were injury free thanks to trigger quick ingrained reactions. A car once pulled out in front of me in a four way intersection around 1992. When my bike hit I wasn’t on it anymore - I had dismounted and came to a thudding but harmless jogging stop against the side of the drivers door on my feet as my bike went over the hood. I was moving fast at the time, but for exactly this reason I had taught myself how to dismount in motion and ride standing on once pedal if need be. I do it often still as I come to a stop, not to look cool as I dismount in motion, but to keep the skill ingrained.
The worst incident I can recall was once rounding a blind corner on a 15 speed bike I had when I was a teen, only to find a small compact parked in my path and to close to brake in time. My bike ‘s front forks were fine, but the frame was bent like a pretzel and the cars hood had a dent in it from my fist where my hand slipped from the bars under the impact. While this was the worst accident damage I’ve experienced till now, I personally had no injuries.
I can still count all the accidents I’ve had on two hands still and the only injuries I’ve had from my bike are minor scrapes and bumps, more often than not from when I’ve been cleaning it that riding it.
Mater a fact, I once tried to ride my trike down a flight of stairs when I was about 4 or 5, I made it to the bottom without anything worse than bruises.
That’s a damn fine safety and survival record if I do say so myself.
I’m lucky, but also damn careful. Like, for example, until today, I had never been doored – oh sure I’ve had plenty a driver open a door on me, but usually I know a good car length away or more from every car I pass if there is someone in the drives side seats and I’m ready to react accordingly if they open up on me. I’m compulsive about this, checking the back window and drivers mirror of every car I pass. Thanks to this and a host of other habits I’ve never had a serious accident. Come to skidding hard stops, swerved, whatever, but nothing that I and my bike didn’t just ride away from no problem and impact free.
Till today.
Good news, the photos here document the extent of my body’s encounter with a sedan today, some scrapes on my knees too, but nothing I wont recover from just fine.
Bad news is the bike fared not so well. Bent forks, warped tire, assorted other bits look like they may have had it to. Sigh, poor bike.
Me and it were happily on our way down the street.
Another cyclist on a racer - a goof I had just watched put his life on the line in a major intersection trying to cross against the lights during rush hour a few blocks back - was now bent on passing me in trafic. Distracted by his antics and the risk it represented I spared a glance over my shoulder to check that there were no cars also coming up as he came up beside me way to close to me and way to far into traffic to be safe during rush hour, when whack! …
Next thing I new world was spinning – put my head in tuck, balled and rolled. Near as I can tell me and my bike went wide around the door rather than over the top, though I did hit the top of the door clean across the chest, as the photo up top shows. It was a plastic body panel job and seemed to bend back taking a lot of the impact itself. Good thing plastic door jobbies.
I remember seeing my back tire swing out as I turned over, I was in the lead with my bike following giving me a view of things to come – saw my bike take down the other guy trying to pass me, he was riding way too close and found out exactly why it’s a bad idea to do that. Lucky for him I don’t think he had any injuries and took off right after it all happen sparing a quick figure wag for the car’s driver.
Note to other foolishly competitive cyclists: this is why tailing and passing on busy streets to close to other cyclists is BAD. If you must pass, pass wide on an empty stretch, check you six and politely let the other guy know you’re your there so they aren’t distracted from their driving by you. And don’t ride another rider’s tail, stay three bike lengths away!
Thankfully there were no cars immediately behind us, not that couldn’t and did come to a stop a safe way away.
So I went a rolling and trying not to put any bare skin or fragile bits on the ground. In this I succeed, my scrapes are all cloth friction – pavement would have taken all the skin off.
Crazy how fast things go, and yet how fast the brain can work just the same, making it all slowwwww dooowwwwwnnnnnnnn. Lucky day for me – no serious injuries, and if there had been, the guys in the ambulance in the oncoming lane who saw it all go down and stopped to look after me would have taken care of it, and if need be I was only a block from a hospital too! Best all round conditions eh? I mean, if you going to be doored….
But now, I have 80$, maybe a 100$ worth of repairs for my bike to deal with. The drivers insurance will cover it I’m told, but not right away….arg. that hurts the most.
