RickInOz

Regular readers will remember that I cycle to work every day. The motivation is partly to improve my cardio fitness level and also to save money on petrol. Not wanting to dice death on the narrow yet busy South Road, I started riding via Linear Park, a nature reserve that runs along the Torrens River. Unfortunately this attempted safety measure has not paid off and I have had two accidents since using this route.

Before we go any further, please don’t worry as my injuries are entirely superficial, and the only thing really bruised is my pride. However it has still caused me to consider the vulnerability of the cyclist. In any accident you are inevitably ejected from the vehicle, and in pre-hospital trauma we always see far worse injuries in ejected vs restrained patients. This is why motorbikers always come off worse than motorists.

The first incident involved, of all things, another cyclist. The path is sub-divided like a road and most people abide to the custom of “Stay Left” as on the road. Unfortunately one dimwit obviously didn’t get the message, as he came straight towards me on my side of the path, while overtaking a slower cyclist in front of him. Despite an instinctive yell, he kept coming and I had to brake sharply and swerve to avoid a head-on collision. As it was I wound up being given a nasty knock to my right arm and leg with some attractive bruises and abrasions as mementos.

As if this wasn’t enough I had another tumble this morning. While cycling down a pavement that unofficially forms part of the bike track, a car pulled out of a narrow driveway. Fortunately he was moving slowly and had almost stopped anyway to merge with traffic. Again instinct took over and I hauled on the anchors. If I can offer only one recommendation for a bike, it is – get disc brakes. They offer far superior braking power versus the standard calliper brakes and I’m sure made the difference in this case. I’d slowed considerably by the time I reached the driveway, and the bike actually stopped, but momentum kept my body going and I went over the handlebars. My descent to the tarmac was rather graceful with the bike following me in an arc, the danger of using cleats. No major damage done, but my sense of confidence on the bike has been dented somewhat.

So to come round to the title of today’s post. On both occasions I was minding my own business and trying to avoid interaction with vehicles on major roads. After 2 years of uneventful cycling to and from the Royal Adelaide and Queen Elizabeth Hospitals, often alongside heavy traffic, I come a-cropper while trying to be safer. Sounds like karma had crashed. Please reboot!