I've lost a couple of close friends in cycling accidents and it really threw me for a loop, too. It didn't stop me from riding though. But it did make me much more careful. I'm also far less confident in all that "cycling is relatively safe" stuff- it definitely has it's risks. Statistics change their meaning when someone close to you is suddenly one of the statistics.

I've also found that Bike Forums can contribute to a warped perspective around cycling. The endless helmet debates, the post-mortems of every bike crash in the country, in the world even, and every time one of us gets cut off, almost doored, right hooked, left hooked, buzzed- even if there was no injury or the slightest actual impact it gets written about in here. It can wear one down.

By all means follow your gut and if you need a break take one to assess. Do keep in mind that millions of cyclists all over the world are pedaling millions of miles just as you're reading this and all without incident. Hey, maybe it's not the safest thing in the world but neither is taking a bath.

Sorry such a needless tragedy struck so close to home.