My wife convinced me to stay home today after winning a "door prize" yesterday morning on the way into work (that didn't take much).

Yesterday morning I was almost finished my commue to work when a driver opened his door about 1/4 second before I ran into it. I was clipping along pretty well and the road was bare and dry at that point. (There are some icy and snow covered sections in my region). I remember not wanting to go wide because there were parked cars on both sides of the road and not enough room on the opposite side for a car to pass without going over the center line.

I actually don't recall seeing the door open but I remember hearing me curse as I was going down! The driver was very apologetic and tried to make sure I was okay. (A nice change). He kept saying how he "always looks" before opening his door. Truth be told, I was a bit ticked at myself for being complacent. I too usually try to keep an eye out for doors and have had some near misses, but this is my first in years of commuting.

Except for my back I didn't feel any immediate effects so I wasn't overly concerned - it wasn't my first fall this winter, but it's my first where I wasn't able to slow it down. One saving grace is the I didn't have too much time to react so I didn't try to break the fall with my wrists. As a software developer that could be a problem.

It wasn't until I got home after work that I really checked myself out and found bruising on my shoulder, and really felt the impact areas - right shoulder (probably from the door), and a bit on the wrist, and left shoulder and elbow from hitting the ground. The right ankle and foot are a bit sore as well. No facial or head injuries, I was wearing goggles and my helmet, I don't know if they impacted. My right grip is offset and the handlebars twisted a bit, but that can be fixed. The bike is a winter beater so I'm not too worried.

No, I'm not going to sue they guy or anything, I decided that even before I saw his disabled vehicle pass. I was a bit concerned at first for his door because it wouldn't close properly at first (heh heh). I wasn't too proud to at least let him pay for a new mirror. In the end I removed my glove and ... offered him a handshake, of course - he seemed more shook up than me.

Thanks for listening - I'm actually a bit giddy from the sore spots (as long as I'm not moving my back), but I think that's just the endorphins kicking in. All the layers of winter padding probably helped spread the pain around. The kicker is that I was on the "on-street bike route" at the time - our city doesn't have many dedicated bike paths yet, and the river path is impassable until the spring.

Richard