Bike Prang

It's been a while, so I guess I was due. Riding from Uni to netball last night, in the dark, along the bike track, I was forced into a sudden swerve to the right, off the bike track to avoid a tree branch and some rocks. I only intended to be off the track for a matter of seconds, but things didn't quite go to plan. Just at the point where my front wheel left the track, an unsighted puddle lay waiting, surrounded by mud. As my back wheel entered the muddy section, I felt a sudden loss of control as both wheels slipped to the right, and out from under me (my body was leaning to the left). As I realised I was slipping, my natural instinct was to intervene by attempting to take my left foot off it's pedal, and stop my fall. Of course, it was at this point that I realised I was clipped in, and there was no chance of this happening in time. And so I fell, grazing my left knee on the side of the path.

It wasn't too bad a fall. No serious damage to myself or the bike. It certainly wasn't as bad as my last prang, which occurred two years ago on Sydney rd in Melbourne. On that day, I was riding along what is admittedly, one of the worst roads for riding in Melbourne. It is a very busy, single lane road, and generally one to avoid when cycling. It was, however, the quickest way home which is why I decided to take it. On this unlucky day in the Spring of 2004, a woman in a parked car decided to fling her door open as I rode past. My reflex was to swerve to the right, towards the centre of the road, but my reaction time was no where near enough to avoid clipping the car door, and so I flew, quite literally, over the handle bars as my bike buckled underneath me. Apart from grazing large quantities of skin off my un-gloved hands, right arm and thigh, quite amazingly I came away with no broken bones, and only a slightly buckled wheel (that was easily straightened again). I was pretty lucky to say the least, but I must admit, it was not a pretty sight when I let rip at the poor dear woman who flung open the door. She, like me, was quite obviously in shock, as indicated by her silent staring at me as I lay sprawled on the road in front of her. Eventually she gave her apologies, by which time I felt thoroughly ashamed of my own rather harsh words in the immediate aftermath. She was clearly very sorry, and so I also apologised for getting so angry, although the sight of blood on my hands, arm and leg probably didn't make her feel any better.

So if you're a cyclist, or a driver - take care out there!