I had a near-miss earlier in the year with a car coming from behind on a narrow road. There was a car in oncoming lane, and the guy in my lane couldn't move over and wouldn't brake and wait until it was safe. No shoulder, beat up right part of the lane so I was further to the left than I normally ride. I've been buzzed, but never had a car get that close to me. Honestly, if I hadn't had a year of racing experience under my belt I may have panicked and swerved, but I was able to hold my line and avoid flying off the road or hitting the car.

To make the situation worse, the guy stopped just up the road to talk to a friend of his who was walking a dog, so I had a chance to confront him. Shortly after that I noticed a township police officer, flagged him down and filed a report against the driver.

Shook me up. For at least a full day afterwards it was all I could think about. I was mostly replaying the confrontation with the guy in my head, getting mad at myself for not handling it better. I was also replaying my conversation with the police officer and kicking myself for forgetting certain details of the incident.

For at least a week after the incident, I was nervous every time a car passed me from behind. When I got onto that road, it was worse. Took several weeks before I was able to ride that road without thinking about it and cringing when cars approached from behind. I still get upset when I see green older model Jeep Cherokees, even though I've never seen that particular car or driver again.