david58

Turn the double nickel tomorrow. So, have mapped out a 55 miler, rollers and nice countryside, wonderful time to be riding out in the farm country.

To make the short story long, took my son back to school in Seattle today, long day of driving but he couldn't easily take his new commuter bike on the train, so we got to hang out and talk and have a great burger for lunch. I could never live in the big city - far too many good places to go eat and drink!

Well, made it to Portland before the big rush, but there is always a slowdown at the I5/I84 split. Very slow. But the car behind me wasn't slow enough. Folded my bumper up under my pickup. And popped me real hard - pretty interesting how a rear collision will snap your neck, back and shoulders.

Dammit.

I hope I wake up feeling like I want to ride - I don't want to think about the alternative. Hopefully a handful of NSAIDs washed down with good beer will keep me from being bound up from this....we'll see. I'm getting tired of this car wreck garbage...my wife still is a couple of months from her bike after her wreck in February.

But, it CAN be worse, so I'm still better off than I deserve...

Dan Burkhart 

Wow, that sucks. Hope you can have a happy birthday in spite of that, and here's to a great birthday ride.

maddmaxx 

At least the bike wasn't back there on a hitch rack. The only time I have been rear ended, the rack was on the car because I was on my way to pick up the wife's new bike. The rack bent slightly, but the lower stabilizer bar gutted the offending cars radiator and hood attachment. Thankyou Hollywood Racks.

Here's hoping you get the ride in eventually.

Dan Burkhart 

I have a Hollywood rack, so I can completely visualize how that happened.

10 Wheels

Which bike will you ride?

qcpmsame 

A very Happy Birthday wish to you, hope the ride is a great one.

Bill

david58

Sadly, the back wasn't up to snuff today....guess I got slapped harder than I thought yesterday. However, tomorrow it will be a ride or an hour on the trainer. Must pedal!

So, I will apply my June 1 56 miler to my birthday - it's my birthday, I get to make the rules. Hopefully I can get 45 or 50 tomorrow...

Cougrrcj

Happy Birthday, and you WILL ride again!

I HATE tailgaters on the freeway! I got rear-ended while towing a 'new' classic Cougar home from Indy (now you can see where my screen name comes from - I collect Cobra-Jet Cougars!) I stopped in time to avoid the rapidly slowing traffic (thank goodness for trailer brakes!), but the guy behind me in a pickup with a snow plow on it hit the Cougar that was overhanging the trailer by a bit, breaking the rear tie-down chain, sending the Cougar forward off the trailer and into the back end of the truck - and I ended up hitting the car in front of me. The trailer had taken a hit as well, bending the rear crossmember - the perp hitting the trailer is what sent me into the SUV in front of me. As the injured parties were pulling off to the side of the road, they guy that hit me drove around and flipped me off with a hearty "F-U A-hole!" and drove off. I couldn't take chase with the Cougar loose on the trailer, and I didn't think quickly enough to get a license plate number. So here I am on the side of the road with my truck damaged front and rear, the 'new' Cougar damaged front and rear and the front wheels hanging off the front of the trailer. It took over an hour for the police to show, and another two for the tow truck to lift the now-worthless Cougar back onto the trailer. Thankfully, I was not cited since there was clear evidence that I was hit from behind and thus "just a 'pinball' " according to the cop.

Bikey Mikey

@David,

Hope you feel well enough quickly. I just turned the double-nickle the first week of May.



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@Cougrrcj,

He hits you, damages your vehicles and flips you off?!? I think we know who the #%$@!#%# is.

Shp4man

Holy crap. This driving thing is becoming excrement intensive.....

David Bierbaum

Happy belated birthday! If you do a belated birthday ride, you can cheat by using the metric system, and plotting out a 55 kilometer ride in place of a 55 mile ride! It will magically reduce your ride to about 34.2 miles.

Cougrrcj

My 55th was Mother's Day weekend.

david58

Well, back worse today, so went to the doc for a look-see. Off the bike for a couple of weeks, I suppose, at least that is what they tell me. So I am out of my Mt. Hood Classic ride, and using petrol for my commute. Guess it is better to get it put to rest rather than do something that hurts it....

Benefit is that Flo will pay for it all, since she was insuring the guy that hit me. Of course, it remains to be seen if the "my foot slipped off the brake" apology at the scene changes. Will be somewhat tough to explain away the rear bumper that is folded up under the truck.

At least this guy was decent and stopped. I can't imagine the level of scum that fella would be that hit your Cougar and drove by flipping you off......

Condorita

To those who insist an Age Ride must be a Birthday Ride, too (or a Birthday Ride an Age Ride), I say: pffffffffffffffft! Ride however many miles or kilometers are feasible on your birthday; ride your age when it's a good day to do it. If they coincide, cool! But see my post in another thread why I am unlikely to combine Age Rides with Birthday Rides.

david58

Well, age rides are easy yet, as I am only 55. But was trying to make it ceremonial this year, since the double nickel, is, well, the double nickel.

As it is, I am off the bike for more than 6 weeks for anything but short easy rides. May just use the trainer instead...I have to drive to anything easy, since I live at the top of the hill.

Treatment plan has me in therapy a LOT. But the xrays did show that my back muscles in general are well developed, whether from supporting my gut or cycling the jury is out. At least the time spent back and forth, mileage to get there and back, etc, gets covered by the "pain and suffering" part of the insurance. But, dangit, I would rather be riding every day and in the mountains on the bike than dreaming about it and shining the steed with a rag...

At least getting hit by someone on the cell phone in a car has less severe consequences than if I'd been on a bike....

nuttygrandma

It's now 6 days after your accident. I do hope you are getting better. I had that happen to me once, about a year after the Intrepid came out and that's what I was driving. A guy wasn't paying attention and I saw the red light change so I was waiting for traffic to clear before I made my left hand turn. The guy never even slowed down so helped me make the turn sooner than I would have like, at 35 mph. I watched the whole thing in my rearview mirror and the 1st car coming towards me saw it too. So, I only got rear ended. Interesting what happens with "crumple zones". The trunk actually folded up like an according. Even the blocks of foam padding popped out of the bumper. Since I was on work time, they made me go to the ER immediately. My PCP was there and she took precautions with muscle relaxers. Said that's what causes injuries like "whiplash", especially since I watched the whole thing. Said people to tend to tighten muscles and the muscles then respond to the impact. Never did take the meds. The car's safety features kicked in, like they were designed to do. The insurance adjuster said the damage wasn't bad, considering the car should have been totaled (meaning the trunk should have been pushed into the back seat, causing non-repairable damage). I was just pissed that someone damaged my car. Had the car repaired. Should have traded immediately afterword. The trunk leaked like a sieve. But I wasn't injured.

david58

Well, here we are. Off the bike at least another month, or more, and have been off of it since the crash on June 10. Docs say no riding, now mowing (I actually like to do it), very light on the gardening (trying to figger out how to get the beans in "light"). Had to hire a lawn-mower (my free ones grew up and moved away), and spend 1-1/2 to 2 hours 3 times a week going to and at the doc. Crap. I hope I get all fixed back up right, so I can get some riding in before the rains start to fall again here in the wet part of the state. So, my cycling will be vicarious this summer, therefore there had better be some doggone good reports WITH PICS!