crash #3

about 4 years ago i had a bad 6 months where i crashed off my bike twice on a particular road. first time i went over the handle bars and landed on my head and my shoulder. my jaw didnt fit right for about a week and my shoulder was screwed for about 6 weeks. second crash was when i hit a bump in the road which knocked my chain off and the bike just went from underneath me. i took some skin off on my hip and elbow as i did my body slide on the road. since those incidents i changed my route to a slightly longer but less hazardous route going on back roads, and have not kissed tarmac since.

today as i left the gym it stated to rain a little. i figured i would try and beat the rain and cycle home the quick (crashes) way. after all what are the odds?. i got to that one particular road which is about 2 miles long. i was going along minding my own business when a bmw z4 came up along side and then cut across to do a left turn, with out indicating, or seeing me right beside him. i slammed on the brakes, skidded a bit and then high sided and flew off the bike and hit the road.

unlike the last times i crashed i didnt feel any particular pain straight away and i got straight back on my feet, smiled at the driver and said "well done mate" and picked my bike and walked away with it. about 15 seconds later i got a really sharp pain in my left knee which was what must have taken the full impact of hitting the road. i managed to cycle the rest of the way home, but my knee is grazed and a bit swollen up and i am limping. i should have fucking known better to cycle that way. lesson learned.

why is it that people that drive bmws tend to be cunts. audi's as well. the other thing i noticed was i felt quite calm and almost relieved when i bounced back up from the road initially. its probably why i didnt say anything to the driver of the car, which is unlike yesterday. on that occasion a lady in front of me did a sudden and random u-turn in the road and she nearly hit a woman who was walking with her 3-4 year old kid and pushing a pram. the driver then had the nerve to shout at the woman whose pram she nearly hit. i was about 10 metres away cycling up to them when i saw this and on that occasion i did get angry. you nearly kill the womans baby and then you shout at her from inside your audi?. i pulled up alongside and said some choice words which were quite harsh. i even shocked myself when i said. shit, where did that seething vitriol come from?.

anyways, i shall now officially ban myself from the other route and go back to my longer and safer route.

today i have mostly been listening to audioslave - be yourself.