Well, given the increasing amount of exposure by commuting to/from work every day and the countless close calls, it was bound to happen - I was hit by a car on my ride home yesterday evening!

This is a first for me; I had never experienced vehicular impact. I was a victim of the infamous, "right hook." I was in the bike lane when I noticed a pickup truck suddenly activate their signal to turn. I'm not sure I'd call it a premonition, but I just KNEW it was going to pull in front of me. I hit the brakes. Sure enough, the truck started turning into the entrance of a business parking lot. I was not slowing enough to stop, so I swerved right along with them. But I was still going too fast - my bike went out in front of them and they hit the rear of my bike.

This is where the scenario becomes surreal to me. I felt the bike swing around beneath me. I felt as if I had been launched from it. I let go of the bars (I thought so anyway) and seemed to fly. I suddenly found my feet beneath me and felt the pavement. I skipped several steps and stopped. I was standing. . . and the bike was still in my left hand, flipped sideways to the left of me.

I was enraged. Likely due to the fact that I wasn't writhing on the ground in pain. But I was furious; I was certain they had wrecked my bike. I turned to find the party responsible. The truck had come to a stop just inside the lot entrance and the passenger was walking toward me.

He asked if I was hurt. I said, "I'm not sure. I don't think so."

He must have noticed that I was just staring at my bike, because he then asked if my bike was OK. I, again, said, "I'm not sure."

I scanned the bike, spun the rear wheel and all seemed OK. I told him I would like to ride it home, check it out, ride again tomorrow and call him. He agreed and we exchanged information.

He evidently used to ride quite a bit and often had to slap fenders and windows to get the attention of inattentive drivers, so he understood my situation as a cyclist. He and his wife (the driver) were quite apologetic and were also aware that the bike lane poses an additional concern for drivers where they need to check for oncoming cycles before turning.

They asked again if I was OK, and I reiterated that I neither hit the ground, nor their vehicle and I was fine. I just mentioned again to watch the right turns next time.

They called me later in the evening to check on things, but I hadn't a chance yet to fully inspect my bike. I'll call them today.

I'm fairly certain that the guy has spoken to his wife about watching for cyclists. My later conversation with him gave me the impression that he has been in my spot as a cyclist.

Anyway, I came to the conclusion that the vehicle struck my pannier, which kicked the bike about, but left it unscathed. I also figured that holding the bar kept it from scraping the ground, but was the wrong thing to do - I really thought I had let go, but my instinct to somehow try to preserve it must have been too great. Hopefully, I won't make this mistake in the future. But, as it was, I found no damage whatsoever and it rides like it always has; smooth as silk - it is a Lemond after all.

So that's my story. Bike lanes are indeed evil incarnate, but I'd rather slide by the traffic than remain mired in it.