My ride on Richmond Boulevard came to an
abrupt halt on Sunday morning. A recreational rider pushing his bike stepped out
from a traffic island, glanced in my direction, saw me, then stopped. I thought for a moment he wasn't going to stop.
Then he took another step, pushing his bike right into my path as I rode past. I was soon flying though the air and on my arse from 48km/h.
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| Classic plodder plough graph. No time to even coast! |
Old mate "thought he had enough time" to wheel his bike across in front of me and was very apologetic.
A few passers by were a little stressed at seeing what happened and the resulting blood loss. Once I was on my feet, I took names and numbers and limped home to the shower to scrub out the dirt.
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| Reverse aero test - passed! |
With an elbow the size of a tennis ball and limited arm movement, I went to Box Hill Hospital for scans. Two minutes after walking in I'm on a stretcher and in a neck brace. Turns out that slight twinge in my neck from smashing my helmet was cause for concern. 5 hours later and x-rays of the damaged bits, I was given the all clear. Just meat damage. No collarbone break this time around. Happy days.
The equipment
assessment was as expected: Helmet DOA, wheels out of true, shoes
scuffed, kit ripped up, and the Shiv TT frame has stress cracks on the
downtube and two snapped seat stays. Shiv #2 on the carbon scrap heap......
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| F'ck you cycling. I'm still here. You're going to have to try harder. |
