well, it finally happened. i got hit by a car on sunday. i was rolling out of my alley and saw him coming pretty quickly, had just enough time to get out the ‘oh shiiiiiit‘ as i went flying into the pavement. popped right back up adrenaline pumping, and joyously realized that my bike looked perfect and i had no broken bones. my neighbor got out of his car and came over, also freaking out because it’s not like he expected to hit a cyclist today any more than i expected to get hit. he was relieved that i was okay and gave me his name and address in case my bike needed any work.

for my troubles it finally killed off my rear tire (which was already showing signs of my new hobby of fixie skid stops) and a pretty substantial amount of raspberry on my shin and right buttcheek. i also got a handy mark that reminds me where my keys sit in the pocket of my shorts. the keys will likely be moving to the bag once i can get more in that habit. i also got a decent story and a reasonable amount of barroom pity, which is not entirely worth it but at least worth something.

i’ve little paranoid now this week, but i’m hoping to move forward and learn from my mistakes – pay attention even when you’re only 20 yards from your house and keep your head up at all times. i do need to move forward from this, and as far as getting hit goes i am definitely one of the luckiest guys i know. too many of my friends have broken collarbones, wrists, legs, necks, etc from bad encounters with cars. i love cycling but i do have to acknowledge the danger level and that folks do get hit by bigger cars moving faster. while i think i am a skillful rider and fairly safe, i don’t think i’ll be filling my mom in on this little story.