Another moist pedal in, but after reading the tale of Joby's ride home I can state categorically that I'd rather be cold and moist than dead!
The pedal home along the cut went really well, there being no IPEDs or other cyclists to ruin my tranquil state of mind, also the towpath was lovely and dry so I arrived home pretty clean for once.
No pedal tomorrow as I'm going straight from work to coach a School of Rugby session in Bromsgrove so I may do another "My Bike" bit. This time about my MTB.
Reading Joby's tale of woe reminded me of the two occasions I've had collisions with cars. The first was the summer of 1996 when I was living in the centre of Birmingham and pedalling to MG Rover in Longbridge, a round trip of 22 miles. I was on my way home and entering a mini roundabout and a woman pulled out of the junction I was about to pass and I hit her straight in the side of her driver's door. The door was dented and so were my forks and my front wheel badly tacco'd. She accused me of not giving way to her can you believe? That collision resulted in the Kona P2 forks I have on my commuter now. Nothing came of the incident. She gave a false name and address and her number plate was false too. Ain't that always the way?
Incident number two was when I moved to Rubery where I live now and had got transferred to Land Rover in Solihull. I'd got a road bike by then, a nice Dawes. That commute was a 28 mile round trip. Anyway, winter of 1998, on the way in I was pedalling down Wast Hills Lane which is where Birmingham City FC's training ground is (if you're into Kevball) no street lights, very dark, drizzling too as I recall and a white van on overtaking me clipped me, I was doing about 18 - 20 mph. I did a fairly good impression of the crash at the start of the 6 Million Dollar Man TV program from the 70's if you're old enough to remember that. My bike was a wreck, gears bent, crank loose, back wheel tacco'd. I was feeling pretty groggy too. The van incidentally didn't stop and there was no one else about. I had to walk the 4 miles back home and when I got home I passed out like a big girl and the missus had to get the doc in. I was off work for 2 weeks with concussion.
But I'm still here fighting the good fight!
Everyone...Be careful out there!
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Its a terrible state of affairs isn't it - but with the advent of mobile phones and video cameras - its a little easier to deal with things :O)
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