Advocacy & Safety - Ran down from behind

On August 7, 2005 while riding on a quiet country road here in Wisconsin I was run down by an SUV going an estimated 50mph (limit was 35), the driver did not stop and left me for dead. I do not remember anything of the crash, but fortunately it was seen by two witnesses who called 911 and saved my life. My helmet was destroyed and has tire marks on the side. Fortunately for me I was thrown into a farmers field which gave me cuts from head to toe, I didn't hit anything solid. I spent 5 days in the hospital with a broken pelvis and lacerated bladder. During the last day in the hospital it was discovered that I was developing a rash all over my body ... poison ivy ... head to toe ! UGH. That was miserable, but I was alive. A week later, I developed fevers, peaking 103 F in the wee hours one night ... we called 911 and I spent another week in the hospital with fevers of 104.1F for 24 hours ... I developed numerous infections including a staph infection of my blood which could have done me in if not for the excellent medical care I received.

I'm now 37 days out from the crash. I'm still walking with a walker, but it's getting better. I'm still peeing through a tube in my bladder, but have not had to have any surgery to fix my bladder yet. I'm still receiving IV antibiotics at home and will for 2 more weeks.

I'm alive and very grateful.

The big question ... will I ever ride the bike again?

I'm 45 years old and have been riding since I was a kid. I spent 12 years racing in the USCF and am quite confident in my abilities to control myself on a bicycle.

But what about the drivers on the road? Speeding - talking on cell phones - not paying attention - etc.

I remember nothing of the accident. All I know is that it was a flat, straight road on a sunny sunday afternoon that had more cows and corn than cars. I'm 6'5", 200 lbs, and was wearing bright clothing.

I love cycling, I put on 3,000 to 5,000 miles on per year and I love to go to bike races and watch, but this may be it for me.

After getting mowed down from behind and left for dead ... I can't trust any drivers out there anymore.

Could you?

John Wilke
Milwaukee

John - that's horrible. glad you are alive though and seemingly getting better.

my accident wasn't nearly as bad as your. i'll spare you all the details, but basically a cab cut me off and we collided. 4 weeks later and armed with a new bike, i'm riding again. and it's not the same. i was pretty scared at first, it felt like everyone was out to slam into me. i didn't view traffic as something to ride with, but as a hostile group of people bent on putting me back in the hospital. i felt small and weak. it's getting a little better, and i think i'll be back to riding daily pretty soon.

you just gotta ease into it. don't go far from home at first, and stay in your comfort level (i only road in the park at first). you shouldn't ditch something you love. don't let that guy take that away from you.

Damn that sucks! I don't know what I'd do if i were you. Did any of the witnesses get any details on the SUV?

Good luck and keep us informed.

Joe

More info:

The police won't give me any information because it's still under investigation. I was told they have my bike and they took lots of pictures, but that's all they can say at this point. I have no bike to look at, no memories of what happened - just a busted helmet and a busted body.

It sucks !

:^[

John Wilke
Milwaukee

Well, John, first of all, we're very glad you made it through, and hope for your quick recovery.

That said, I don't know if any of us who haven't been through something like that can honestly answer your question. We'd all like to urge you to "get back up on the horse", and encourage you by saying that those types of drivers are rare and its unlikely that anything that this will ever happen again even if you do resume riding. But, that doesn't feel like it sufficiently honors your experience, coming from anyone who hasn't been through it. So I don't really know what to say.

I guess your exact question was if I could trust any drivers again after such an incident. I want to say that I would, but who really knows if I'd feel that way after going through what you did?

One last question. I am in no way meaning to place any blame on you, please don't interpret it that way, but: Did you have a mirror? If not, maybe if you had, it might have helped you see this person coming and take evasive action (maybe, who knows for sure), and beginning to use one would make you feel more comfortable if and when you resume riding. (If you did have one, never mind.)

Look-up what happened to Joseba Beloki in the 2003 Tour de France. Horrible crash at high speed when arguably at the peak of his career. He's racing again this season. Maybe that can help inspire you to ride again!

Best of luck with your recovery. I hope the police are useful and can nail that ignorant bastard who ran you over to wall and then some. Sounds like he(?) could use some time in PMITA (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=PMITA) prison.

John,

glad you made it through the accident, hope you have a full and speedy recovery.


I too am a lifetime rider, and have had some serious crashes in the past 4 decades. More recently, having been hit from behind five years ago by a cab, and also currently off the bike, rehabbing a broken hip and foot from an bike car collision in mid August of this year, I can relate to your apprehension about riding again.after the cab accident, I was apprehensive about riding, but that went away after a few rides. This time, I just want to get back on the wheel. Hopefully, the apprehension will be minor. Good luck!

do they at least have a name? if the police are too slow i'd hire a lawyer and private investigator. i'm sure they - i'm sure they'd proceed on it without any money up front

Rodney Moseman, the custom bike builder, was hit from behind in 2002 by a semi tractor-trailer. The injuries were extensive, but fortunately no brain damage, and he was hospitalized for many months. He has recovered and continues to ride.

Sorry to hear about the collision, sorry that the driver was too small to stick around. I hope you heal quickly and as painless as possible. If I was out your way I would volunteer to ride with you, a small pack may make you feel safer. I hope you soon feel secure in riding again.

One last question. I am in no way meaning to place any blame on you, please don't interpret it that way, but: Did you have a mirror? If not, maybe if you had, it might have helped you see this person coming and take evasive action (maybe, who knows for sure), and beginning to use one would make you feel more comfortable if and when you resume riding. (If you did have one, never mind.)

I used to subscribe to the thoery that i could escape an "attack from behind" by virtue of using a mirror. I love my helmet mirror and don't ride anywhere without it. I have ridden thousands and thousands of miles with it.

On the bike i have often asked myself if the mirror would give me enough notice to avert a rear end job. When a cars comes up i sometimes simulate it in my brain as to what i would do if i couldn't detect that the car was getting over. What i have found is that i don't think the odds are very good that i would :
a.) Notice the car was not giving me enough room. or b.) Have time to do anything about it.

I'm sorry you had such a bad accident but I am glad that you are alive. I worry a lot about getting hit on the road yet haven't given up on cycling. Stories like yours and so many others, are red flags in my mind. I think a person is foolish if they don't pay attention to red flags.

I haven't even come close to deciding to quit riding but the thought is there. I suspect an event like yours would cause me to give it up but i don't know. I do know that life is short and that cycling is not the only potential hazard in life. I also know that it is one of the very few things that i thoroughly enjoy.

Good luck to you my friend.

i hope that guy is found. he deserves to rot in a tiny cell somewhere. if you do find him, get the best lawyer you can and go for the jugular. i still can't even imagine how someone could just leave after an accident like that.

i hope that guy is found. he deserves to rot in a tiny cell somewhere. if you do find him, get the best lawyer you can and go for the jugular. i still can't even imagine how someone could just leave after an accident like that.

What about the possiblity that it wasn't an "accident"?

What about the possiblity that it wasn't an "accident"?

true - i should have said incident. i truely hope nobody would TRY to kill someone on purpose just riding a bike around, but i guess you never know. some people are sick.

My helmet was destroyed and has tire marks on the side.

:eek:

holy ****. you're one lucky punk. I'm never really worried about things like that happening out here, there are so many cyclists where I ride that people are pretty used to us, but there's always that nagging in the back of my head of "what if"...wow.

I hope you make a full recovery - and get back on that saddle.

There's a hit and run trial going on right now in Santa Barbara. Lady hit a pedestrian on her way home from a party where witnesses say they served her alcohol. The assumption is she went home and only called the police after the alcohol wore off. Bet her lawyer recommended that. I wouldn't be surprised if something like that happened, minus the calling the police part.

I'm glad you survived. I know how it feels, sort of. I had a motorcycle accident recently, but only minor injuries. I was very scared to get back on. Even now, when I'm pulling out from where it happened, I look down the street and even though I can see it is clear, I don't believe it is clear. I brace for impact still. If you decide to hang it up, I'll understand.

I hope they take your case seriously. For some reason, people can kill cyclists and get away with it.

Livestrong. Thats my only advice.

You could look at it this way; Lighting does not strike twice in the same place. It's all about nerve.
Best of luck to you. I hope they find the @#$%er.

Wow...You are lucky, or unlucky, you are still alive. Rear-enders are very rare. But, almost always deadly.

Here are a few things I noticed:

1. Riding on a quiet country road in Wisconsin.
(Complacency. Most people think riding in traffic is dangerous. So, when there's no cars around, they let their guards down.)

2. Were you using a rear-view mirror?
(The SUV goon might have still nailed you. But, if you had early warning, you might have a chance.)

3. I got nailed from behind once by a driver with suspended license, DUI priors, and one glass eye. The speed of the car was 35 mph. I should have died. Instead, I walked away with nothing more than a bruised hip and managed to give a TV interview. I was towing a big aluminum box on a trailer, which absorbed the impact.

Will you ride again? I dunno. See my strategies on how to deal with wild and crazy drivers: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=132180

You may find a fundamental difference in attitude between those of us who have been struck by motor vehicles (in my case, once, 29 years ago; concussion, facial lacerations, broken clavicle) and those who have not. Partly because she remembers my experience so vividly, my wife gradually gave up road bicycling entirely. I continue to ride, but I select my routes and weather and traffic conditions very carefully, and I ride less than I would like to.

I hope that you recover fully and quickly. . .

As for trusting drivers. I don't trust people as general rule, as I've seen the bad side of people too many times.

I especially do not trust people while cycling. I ride with the traffic facing me; which is not a solution at all as I cross traffic from the wrong direction. I mainly stay on the side walk or on bicycle trail where there is no traffic. I've been side swiped and ran off the road a few times already. I've just been much luckier than you.

People Suck make no mistake !

Glad to hear you're getting better quickly John. It's a good thing you're a fit and healthy rider. Anyone else might not have survived. As for riding, you can always ride in the park or ride with a group for safety.

I don't know how I'd react to such a life changing situation, but ask yourself if you'd feel happier knowing you were safer not riding your bike.

There are just too many stories of cyclists being struck and left for dead. Very scary. You didn't say but were you riding alone? I believe that riding in a group offers much better protection. For one you are more visbile. Two - much less chance of harrasment. Three - I have found cars more cautious around groups of riders than just a single rider. And, finally, if you are struck then is someone right there to summon aid.

Yes - I have heard that even long pacelines of cyclists are occassionally taken out by a distracted driver.

John,

Wow. Thanks for sharing your story. I'm sorry you had to go through it, but glad you lived to tell us about it!

I have been writing for over a year on this forum about a concept I call "dynamic lateral lane positioning". I haven't referred to it by name in a long time, but it is the principle that drives most of my posts. On country roads here is how it is applied:

1) Use a mirror.
2) Ride in the center of the lane except to allow faster traffic to pass.

There are two main hazards to a cyclist on a long straight road with no intersections:

1) Driver from behind does not see you and runs you down, or is not aware of your presence and inadverdently drifts into you.
2) Driver in oncoming lane decides to pass slower vehicle in his lane, and moves into your lane to pass without noticing you're there.

In both cases the best defense is a good offense: ride in the center of the road.

For the first case, you ride in the center of the lane to greatly increase the chance that the driver approaching from behind sees you and is aware of you. There is a big difference between "seeing" you and being aware of you. Consider the situation from the point of view of a driver. Who is he more likely to see and be aware of:

a) A cyclist up ahead off to the side, in a bike lane, or in a shoulder?
b) A cyclist up ahead in the middle of "his" lane?

It is much harder to ignore a cyclist in your lane than a cyclist "off to the side".

Once the driver from behind is close enough to have achieved a high likelihood of his awareness of my presence, I move aside, perhaps into the bike lane or shoulder if there is one there, to facilitate his passing. I submit that by doing so I am no more vulnerable than I would have been had I been riding along the side the whole time. Plus, more importantly, the driver is much more likely to be aware of my presence than he would have been otherwise, and, thus, much less likely to inadverdently drift into me. I don't see the downside.

For the second case, where an oncoming driver wants to pass, again, by being in the center of the lane it is much more likely that he will see me and decide to abort his pass. Now, it's possible that he still won't see me, and I'll have to go to plan B (move aside!), but I'm much less vulnerable to this possibility. Again, I don't see a downside.

Use the full lane to be visible and predictable, except to let faster traffic pass, when safe and reasonable to do so.

AND we must be politically active, asserting our rights to congregate as bikers, to be seen as viable, valid occupiers of the same roads cars drive on. to do less would be to not care about every other cyclist in this country.

J
I have been writing for over a year on this forum about a concept I call "dynamic lateral lane positioning". I haven't referred to it by name in a long time, but it is the principle that drives most of my posts. On country roads here is how it is applied:

Cool, now there is a name for how I have practiced riding for 25 years.

"dynamic lateral lane positioning". That's it exactly.

I used to subscribe to the thoery that i could escape an "attack from behind" by virtue of using a mirror. I love my helmet mirror and don't ride anywhere without it. I have ridden thousands and thousands of miles with it.

On the bike i have often asked myself if the mirror would give me enough notice to avert a rear end job. When a cars comes up i sometimes simulate it in my brain as to what i would do if i couldn't detect that the car was getting over. What i have found is that i don't think the odds are very good that i would :
a.) Notice the car was not giving me enough room. or b.) Have time to do anything about it.
Yes, I admit I'm only speculating about that. I'd be surprised if there were any statistics on it, and even if there were, we'd have to have a "Mirrors cramp my style" sticky thread to argue about it. :rolleyes:

"dynamic lateral lane positioning".

AKA....PowerWeave.

Yes you will ride again if you want to badly enough. I survived a similar accident in 2004.
I was in a coma for 3 weeks and spent 2 months in the hospital. I have lost the use of my left leg so I started riding a handcycle last April. I was a bit nervous the first few times in traffic but I got over that quick. The first time out is hardest. Good luck.

The police won't give me any information because it's still under investigation.This is why they call it the criminal justice system.

Just curious... for those of you have been hit from behind on straight intersectionless stretches of roadway... at the time that the vehicle that hit you was approaching from behind for enought so that you still had time to pull over to get out of his way (regardless of whether you actually did), where were you positioned?


in the bike lane
in the shoulder
keeping to the right, near the shoulder stripe
at the road edge (no shoulder)
about a few (1-3) feet LEFT from the edge or shoulder stripe or bike lane stripe
further left in the vehicular lane (in the center, between the left and right car tire tracks).


What I'm getting at is that I ride assertively (6) in situations like this, and move right closer to the edge only after the approaching vehicle is close enough for it to be highly unlikely that the driver is still unaware of my presence (see my post on Page 1 for more on this), and I'm wondering if anyone who has gotten hit has done this.

not to contribute to thread drift, but when i was caught from behind i was positioned more to 5-6, about right tire tread, not in the center on the lane though, with parked cars and no striping.I moved right as I heard and eyeballed the cab behind me but still got tagged.

"straight intersectionless stretches of roadway" tend to have high speed limits. It's silly to ride down the center of the lane on a high-speed road.

Glad someone pointed that out!

"straight intersectionless stretches of roadway" tend to have high speed limits. It's silly to ride down the center of the lane on a high-speed road.
And if that road is classified as a "highway", by law (at least in CA), slow-moving vehicles have to be as far right as possible, unless there is debris, etc.

And if that road is classified as a "highway", by law (at least in CA), slow-moving vehicles have to be as far right as possible, unless there is debris, etc.

Same here. It seems like the individual who started this thread did nothing wrong. He simply got ran over. Individual forum members trying to illustrate why it won't happen to them is nonsense. I have read nothing here that was the fault of the cyclist. He simply got ran over. That is hard to prevent!

It's silly to ride down the center of the lane on a high-speed road.
Not if you want to make sure they know you're there and you move to the side of the road as they approach...

Works for me...



And if that road is classified as a "highway", by law (at least in CA), slow-moving vehicles have to be as far right as possible, unless there is debris, etc.
That's not entirely true (at least in CA).

The slow vehicle law, CA VC 21654 (http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21654.htm), does not apply when there is no faster traffic moving in the same direction at such time.



21654. (a) Notwithstanding the prima facie speed limits, any vehicle proceeding upon a highway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at such time shall be driven in the right-hand lane for traffic or as close as practicable to the right-hand edge or curb, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction or when preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
...


I ride in the center of the lane ONLY WHEN there is no other faster traffic moving in the same direction at the time. That's the whole point... you move "as close as practicable to the right side" as the faster traffic approaches, soon enough to not impede it, but late enough to allow for the driver to notice you.

I ride in the center of the lane ONLY WHEN there is no other faster traffic moving in the same direction at the time. That's the whole point... you move "as close as practicable to the right side" as the faster traffic approaches, soon enough to not impede it, but late enough to allow for the driver to notice you.
Ah... but are you aware of every vehicle that is coming up behind you and their speed? Drivers can take the roads at over 100 MPH if they are long, straight, and empty (of other motorized vehicles). I don't know if they can notice a bicyclist when approaching at that speed, nor if you can move over in time. When I get up to a certain speed, the wind rushes over my ears and I can't hear any other cars unless they are right next to me.

[Missing words from original post shown like _this_]

John, I take it that this is the same incident that was posted on the nordic ski newsgroup?

I'm generally in agreement with Helmet Head's point of view on cycling matters. But I don't think there's ever going to be enough information to play Monday morning quarterback. Proper cycling techniques such as lane positioning, etc., may minimize risk but doesn't reduce it down to zero. Don't forget that we could be _doing_ all the right things and still be a victim - not just in bicycling, but also in other things in life.

I've never been in this situation before, but I do know that if you had similar injuries in a car accident while driving a car, you'd have a whole support network of friends and family encouraging you to "get back on the horse". Yet for the same injuries happening while bicycling or another activity, these same friends and family might not provide that same support. Bicycling, while involving risk, is often perceived as being riskier than it _really_ is. Don't let their misperception of relative risk cloud your decision making about whether or not to get back on the bike.

Best of luck for a speedy recovery.

Ranger... I am NOT saying it's his FAULT that he got run over.
I've just heard of one too many of these incidents, and I've developed a behavior that I believe will make it less likely for it to happen to me. That's all. I'm still in the same position on the road as I'm passed. The only difference is that before I'm passed, I've been in a position that makes it more likely for me to get on the driver's awareness radar. That's my goal - make sure he's aware of my presence before he passes me. I do this by riding in the lane so that he sees me, then I move aside.

I've had police approach from the rear as I've been doing this. Never had a problem. Of course, it's not doable without a mirror, and you have to be sure to take a quick glance every few seconds. But on the roads we're talking about, long and straight, you have a long time to watch someone approaching from the rear, and thus a long time for them to see you and become aware of you, before you have to move aside to not be in their way.

I realize that if you're used to mindlessly riding without a mirror along the far right edge of the road just enjoying the ride, it might sound difficult or crazy to do this instead, but, frankly, I'd rather pay some attention to the traffic too, and increase my odds of them being aware of my presence as much as I can.

Also, if you read my post on Page 1 of this thread, I explain how doing this helps prevent oncoming motorists from passing on your side of the road, a behavior that has killed cyclists in the past as well.

mac - please read my post on Page 1. I don't use my ears - I use my mirror to be aware of, yes, every vehicle that is coming up behind me and their speed. You can tell how fast they're coming by how fast they're closing in from behind, and you move aside accordingly. I usually move aside around 3-6 seconds before they pass me, depending on their speed.

Remember, we're talking about a long straight road with no other same direction traffic on it, or with the only same direction traffic being 10 or more seconds back. Only then do I move to the center of the lane. But I'm monitoring behind me -- a split second mirror check every 3-5 seconds -- the entire time.

Ironically, I think we're safer when there is a lot of traffic on a road like this - safer from inadverdent drift anyway. The reason is that motorists are more focused on where they are going when they are following someone else, which is what they're doing when there is a lot of traffic. It's the lone driver on an empty road that's the biggest danger - and of course the situation where there are no witnesses. That's the situation during which I employ this technique.

Works for me...

This is the first time you have been hit from behind in 45 years. Dont alter your way of life to avoid an event that is most unlikely to happen. Do you avoid going up into tall buildings because a terrorist may fly a plane into it? Get back into riding as soon as you can. I am sure you will be nervous and spend more time than necessary watching in your mirror for the traffic, but the more you ride the more you will enjoy overcoming the setback to your life which that SOB gave you.

Remember, we're talking about a long straight road with no other same direction traffic on it, or with the only same direction traffic being 10 or more seconds back. Only then do I move to the center of the lane. But I'm monitoring behind me -- a split second mirror check every 3-5 seconds -- the entire time.If you take a regular driving class (apparently they don't do them here automatically like they do in the Midwest) this is what they tell you that you're supposed to do -- check your rear view mirror every 3 to 5 seconds. Its just weird that there should be any controversy about wearing mirrors. If its a safety requirement for automobiles, how much more so for bikes?


I'm not sure if I can concure completely with HH's approach, though I have been trying it and other VC approaches more often. Even if it works, will I be able to explain it to a police officer, who probably has only memorized the "bikes on the right" addage.

In CA all you have to say is that you thought the law only applied when faster same-direction traffic is present. And, as soon as faster same direction traffic appeared, you moved aside.

What's the officer going to say... No, it applies all the time? Just tell the judge he said that...

Also, some cyclists keep a copy of the relevant laws on their person, just in case... I keep meaning to do that...

Also, some cyclists keep a copy of the relevant laws on their person, just in case... I keep meaning to do that...Don't know if I have the "same direction" law on hand, but most of the bike laws are printed on the bike map, which I always carry with me.

I find that bike maps often have only abridged summaries of the laws, and often are missing the critical details...

I should add that the "technique" I describe is not my own invention.

John Franklin advocates cyclists using the center of the lane as their primary riding position in his book, Cyclecraft. That book is worth reading for this concept alone (but for lots of other stuff as well).

i'm more concerned with John Wilke's speedy recovery and return to the wheel than your endless diatribe on lane positioning and VC, Helmet Head, would you put a sock in it already??? and not overwelm and hijack posts with YOUR opinion on cycling style?


the OP got hit, injured seriously, and i think he's looking more for validation and support, than a diatribe on cycling positioning, you lunkhead VC edukator, you.

i'm more concerned with John Wilke's speedy recovery and return to the wheel than your endless diatribe on lane positioning and VC, Helmet Head, would you put a sock in it already??? and not overwelm and hijack posts with YOUR opinion on cycling style?


the OP got hit, injured seriously, and i think he's looking more for validation and support, than a diatribe on cycling positioning, you lunkhead VC edukator, you.


:roflmao:

i'm more concerned with John Wilke's speedy recovery and return to the wheel than your endless diatribe on lane positioning and VC, Helmet Head, would you put a sock in it already??? and not overwelm and hijack posts with YOUR opinion on cycling style?


the OP got hit, injured seriously, and i think he's looking more for validation and support, than a diatribe on cycling positioning, you lunkhead VC edukator, you.

I'm still alive so I better chime in. I'm not looking for an arguement, I'm just trying to justify continuing riding (which I love to do) when, right now, I can't possibly trust anyone out on the road. Not after almost getting killed.

The law here in Wisconsin states that you have to ride as far to the right that is safe, preferrably within 3 feet of the right side of the road. That's what I do. It's worked for 30 years until this crash, I can't see changing that. If I'm approaching an intersection and guys are trying to squeeze by to turn when it's not safe ... I will take the lane ... they can wait until it's safe for them to pass. I can think of a twisty road that leads downhill to a lake (Pewaukee Lake) with a tight, blind turn at the bottom ... it's all "no passing" and I'm already traveling at 25 - 30 mph ... I take the lane. No one is going to try and squeeze through ... that's nuts.

Just to be clear, the road where I got clobbered was straight and flat at that point, but it is not that way for "miles", it's that way for maybe 1/3 of a mile ... mind you, there are no trees, buildings, hills to block the view, it's just a flat country road that meanders through farm county. The speed limit is 35 mph. The guy could probably spot me from a half mile if he was paying attention.

For those of you using a mirror ... suppose you see someone comming up from behind that scares you ... "OH S*** !". At what point do you bail? Mind you ... not stop at the side of the road, there's no time for that ...but "OH S*** ... GOTTA BAIL NOW ! " Ten car lengths? Five? If I'm going for the dive into the ditch, into the bushes, into the marshy field covered in poison ivy (okay, maybe that's not so bad), into the rocks or fence so that I'm not killed, I know I'm going to hurt ... I want to know that NOW is the time to go. So when have you decided to bail? If you wait too long ... splat. If you just watch the guy roll up behind you until it's too late ... then what good is the mirror?

The hard part of my crash is not knowing what happened, I don't recall anything. Did I have a blow out? DId I hear him but not think anything of it? Did I hear him, look back, say "Oh S*** !" , attempt to bail into the field but not make it? Maybe if I hadn't tried to bail I would have gone through the windshield ! Or maybe I got run down intentionally.

I've loved cycling for a long time, I hate to give it up, but I've seen drivers change. It's not the same out there as it was ten years ago. My feelings at this point are that if I do ride next year, it's going to be only on certain roads or circuits ... I can't imagine "hitting the open road" for a long tour ... it's not worth my life for.

Oh, and yes ... lightning can strike twice ... it has happened, it WILL happen again.

Ride safe and do a mile for me ... I'll be hobbling around with my walker for a while.

John Wilke
Milwaukee
(feeling better each day).



As