Good thing because it is getting a little tricky with church business, cold temperatures and the ever-earlier setting sun to get my rides in.
Today I hit a car.
It didn't hit me, I hit it.
And no, it wasn't parked.
(This is where my mother says, "oh, Amy.")
It pulled out from alongside a concrete wall as I was headed down a sidewalk/bike path. By the time I saw it there was no stopping. I squeezed my brakes, yelled and turned my wheel sideways so that I actually hit the car with my left thigh and slid down the side to the ground.
Laying on the ground, I half expected the car to pull away. But he didn't. He came out to see if I was okay. I was and so was my bike, amazingly. His car? Well...I left a nice dent in the side panel of that little Honda Accord, just below the passenger window. How awful it must have sounded inside.
The high amount of spandex necessitated by the 50 degree temperature prevented the spilling of any blood. I anticipate a car door sized bruise on my thigh by morning.
But really, I'm fine. I rode home. I took a shower. I came back to work.
I'm feeling a bit guilty about hitting him. I don't know if it was my fault or his. Probably a little of both. I do know it's going to cost him to fix the car. But I suppose less than if I had been 2 seconds earlier and he had hit me instead of the other way around.
One of my teammates, Lori, was hit by a car last weekend in Dallas. The car was stopped behind her at a light when the driver took his foot off the brake while reaching for his cell phone. He ran right into the back of her. She has 17 stitches in her ankle. In Car vs Bike, Car usually wins.
On to other news, our Saturday rides have been going well, the long distances have been enjoyable. It's amazing how the day can slip away between tires and pavement. I think I like the simplicity of it. I get up in the morning and the only thing to accomplish in the day is the ride. Two weeks ago I snapped a few photos of the team in action.
Our paceline, I'm the second rider from the front. Usually we are in two lines taking up our own lane of traffic. This was a moment on a busy two lane road so we were single file. Dale is in front. For the record I can beat him anytime I want to. Yes I can, Dale.
Dale and Coach Travis (to the left) sporting his official TNT jersey. I will have earned my own in just a few more days. 
Pit stops are crucial to the long rides. Refilling and emptying water. Travis has rarely found a convenience store with more than one woman's toilet. We have 10 women on the team. He needs to work on this.
3 comments:
Oh, Amy.
The ride is so close! Are you pumped?
You should have Rush show you that trick for drip-free-outdoor-girl-peeing. It involves hugging a tree, so it can't be bad.
I realized yesterday that I have been missing the chance to obsess about the ride. Before other endurance events I have had a two to three week period of thinking about little else. I think a few things at work have gotten in the way of that this time.
So let the obsessing begin!
Normally, I am all for peeing in the woods. However, when you are going to sit and sweat in your bike shorts for another 5 hours, toliet paper is really helpful.
Post a Comment