so yesterday i was headed out to do some interval/sprints with my racing buddy as preparation for our race Sunday and our big big race the following Saturday (with 3500meters of vertical!)

and on the way we're riding through town at a decent clip... between 30 and 35km/h on the mountain bike... and we're alternating between riding the bike paths (legally required) and the street --- legally in munich you're REQUIRED by law to ride on the paths with a special sign (which these did) but usually if i'm riding over about 25km/h or definitely 30km/h i will hop on to the road even if some cars get pissed off occasionally b/c the paths are just not safe with all the pedestrains right next to you at that speed (it is a BIKE-ONLY path, but the pedestrian path is right next to it so people are constantly crossing and walking there w/o looking)

anyway, we had been in the street and then i switched to the path b/c i had to slow down to adjust my shoe. my friend stayed in the street. after i adjusted my shoe i started slowly accelerating again - as i was going about 20 or 25km/h there was a slight right-hand curve ahead and a few pedestrains to the right --- a woman and her maybe 10-year-old daughter. the woman had her hand around the daughter who was on her right. as i approached the kid started running straight ahead and i moved my fingers to the brake levers... then the kid was between the mother and me so blocked briefly from my vision. suddenly at the last second the kid makes a 90degree left and is RIGHT in front of me! i could not swerve right b/c the mom was there. direclty to my left was a trash can and ahead to the left was a glass and metal bus stop... i slammed on the brakes. then the kid stopped directly in my path so she was just to the right of my front wheel and her shoulder in line with the right side of my handlebar. i'm not sure, but i think i pulled the bar back to the right to "cushion" a blow to the kid and i also pulled the brakes to the max which sent me flying over the bars. i don't think i flipped, but kind of got catapulted over the bars but kept my feet sort of under me so i landed on my right foot and my left knee with my left hand grabbing the pole of the bus stop and my left hand on the ground. the bike lay on the ground behind me and i was between the bike and the kid who was still standing.

anyway, before i was off the ground the mom had grabbed the kid and was yelling at her for running into the path ---- i got the impression the mom had just finished telling her not to run in the path -- and i was a little shocked as she hadn't really checked the kid to see if she was ok. i was just kind of staring and tryng to get over the jolt and the woman says "sorry, it's her first time in munich so shes doesn't know about bike lanes" and then a bystander who seemed to be hanging out as a witness that i had done nothing wrong asked if all was ok and the mom says "yeah, it was her fault. she just ran into the bike path"... then she asks me if i'm ok. but i feel a little funny as i had just hit a kid going 15km/h or so... so i kind of glance at my bike and check my knee and everything seems ok. so i say i think i'm ok. she apologizes again and i check my knee a little better - no scrape. so i ask if the kid is ok (the kid looked scared although honestly i'm not sure if it was from the collision or b/c she was scared b/c she had disobeyed the mom). so the mother apologizes again and i say it's all ok since nobody's hurt and ride off.

but wow, could have been bad! i mean i could have slammed into the trash can or the glass/metal bus stop or i could have really hit the girl. as it was i think i just barely hit here as i then flipped the bike and went over the bars...

anyway, supports my view that the bike paths are only safe for speeds up to 20 or 25km/h and i will MORE often ride the road even though it's illegal here. i'd rather go to court or pay a ticket than kill a kid or severly injure myself...

anyway, ride turned out great, although i think i hurt my wrist a little -- hard to say as i had hurt it in an off-road crash last weekend, but it hurts WAY more today... anyway, i'm wearing the wrist-brace for the day and hopefully it'll be ok before the race sunday!