That is wonderful.
I'm looking forward to seeing a new variety of "bumper bike" : )
Mick
2010-04-08 04:05:10
5
1 piece, 2 wheels, and 3 cheers
So I'm pretty excited: I graduated from physical therapy 3 weeks ago and yesterday I mounted a [non-stationary!] bike for the first time since my November crash. It felt great to be back in one piece on two wheels, but I do confess that I was (and am) slightly terrified. I biked to work and back yesterday and today, which may have been too big a step for a first ride in going through the crash site. It's amazing to see how my body has responded though-- yesterday I had a hard time with the slight hills I face on my route, but today I had little to no trouble. I am trying pretty hard to keep my cool and not be completely petrified, but truth be told, I went from feeling somewhat invincible (in my trusting nature) to feeling now completely invisible to others on the road. I have this terrible fear that no one on the road sees me at all or gives a damn, and having been lately so often behind the wheel myself due to my predicament, I can see how easy it is to suffer from the epidemic of distracted driving. Naturally, my mother's insistence of my watching an Oprah "No Phone Zone" driving special over Easter weekend didn't serve to put my mind at any greater ease. Today was a little better than yesterday, and I hope that each day will become a little easier, but I've learned of a few other folks (friends of friends) as of late who've had exceptionally horrific accidents (one paralyzed for life, the other currently in a coma), so even with as stoked as I am to be back "in the saddle", I peddle in paranoia and hovering shadows of fear. I'm thankful and recognize the grace given me to only have had my wings clipped for a time rather than pinioned and take this gift very seriously... but I certainly do not want fear to dictate my life, and hope to regain the sense of freedom I once felt that made me fall in love with biking. I'm thankful to be in one piece, but I also want to be at peace, which is perhaps the most difficult thing I've faced in all of this. In time I suppose? For now I feel like I want to arm myself within a third tire around my torso, creating my very own bumper bike, perhaps with a sign taped to it that says, "Be nice to me. I was hit by a pickup." So if you see a character dressed as such, peddling slowly past, and looking about shiftily and shakily, be sure to say hello...
2010-04-08 03:10:11
Excellent that you are back on!
Unfortunately, if you were riding without fear before, that may have contributed to your misfortune. You need to have fear to survive, but don't let it paralyze you and keep you from riding, turn it to your advantage so it helps you, more like a waryness. When you're riding, think like a deer in the woods, you can see and hear everything, and you're so much more agile than the lumbering metal boxes. Forget that the cars are driven by people who, in normal circumstances, would treat you as another human, be nice to you, they are, at best, indifferent machines that will blithely kill you if given the chance.
If you are riding sitting up straight in the saddle and looking forward, you are immediately giving up 75% of the advantages that you have on the bike, ride in all 4 dimensions. Swivel your head around, know what is going on all around you in a 360 degree bubble, stand up out of the seat and look over cars to see what the 4th car up is doing. 4th dimension? Time - observe and predict what all the cars around you are going to do 30 seconds before they do it, hopefully before even they know what they are going to do.
Stay loose and relaxed on the bike.
Ride with your hands over the brake levers, not glued to the grips.
When I ride, I am all over the place, head swivelling, standing, listening. I think it's a blast. That's the best I can summarize 40 years of riding on streets, without (knock) incident. Forget the bumper, it will just slow you down.
2010-04-08 12:02:13
It sounds like your accident was a lot worse than mine, but I'm going through similar feelings. I got hit recently - in December. The worst of it was a broken arm (healed) and a sprained ankle (slowly healing).
Anyway, before the accident I had never been hit before though I definitely road with some mix of fear/care/confidence and knew that getting hit was a possibility.
A month ago I got back on a bike and was way more stressed out than usual, too - especially about cars behind me, for some reason, even though most bike accidents do NOT happen from behind. I also was terrified that someone would make another left turn into me (that's how my accident happened), so I'd slow down a lot whenever I passed a street on my right and watch each car coming towards me very closely.
A month later, I feel a lot less stressed out, but those feelings are still there a bit. I think, "When will my next accident be? Will it be worse?"
One choice I have been making lately is to avoid dangerous intersections/stretches of road that I used to put up with before. I am now actively searching out routes that are chiller and figuring out how to avoid intersections that suck. It takes me a few minutes out of my way, but I find myself wayyyy less stressed. I recently figured out how to avoid the suckiest part of my commute. What's funny is that the option was always there - I just never thought about taking it. It wouldn't have prevented my particular accident, but whatever.
Maybe that could work for you too?
2010-04-08 13:55:56
Congrats on finishing PT. Glad to see you are back on the road!
I have had a lot of accidents (bicycle/motorcycle/car/skateboard), and a bunch of injuries. The biggest thing is to not let fear control you.
Be confident and cautious, but most of all, enjoy the ride--that's the point, after all.
2010-04-08 15:38:18