2016-07-28 – Two weeks ago, I wrote about bike safety. One week ago, I was in a bike accident. Today I am still sore, but healing.

I was riding in Evanston on the way to the Baha’i Temple. It would have been a 12 mile round trip. I’ve been working my distances up since Spring when I found I couldn’t do the long-distance rides I used to do. My last weekend distance before the accident was up to 24 miles. The Baha’i Temple ride was becoming my new week-day distance. An hour’s ride or so.

I was about half way there, last Thursday, when I found myself behind a guy on a bike who was probably around my age—and movin’ kinda slow. So I picked up some speed to pass him. Suddenly he turned left and ran smack into me (good thing for him I wasn’t a car). We both went flying. I ended up lying in the middle of the street with him on top of me. My glasses and watch were about 20 feet ahead, both broken.

Although I had the wind knocked out of me, I felt okay, when a passing motorist stopped and helped me up. I apparently had a little blood on my head and he gave me some tissues to wipe it away. It was very little blood, fortunately. When I was 7 years old, I had a bike accident and the blood from the gash to my head was gushing. This was not like that at all.

I credit that to my helmet. The corner of my glasses apparently stuck out of its protective space and they broke. But my head was safe.

As the shock of the event wore off, I started to feel a multitude of scrapes and the stress to my arms and shoulders and chest. Soreness that has kept me up nights. I finally went to the doctor and had x-rays. No broken bones. I’m advised to take ibuprofen and use ice packs. I’m just not sure where I would put the ice packs. I was hurt all over.

Except my head. Always wear your helmet. It really worked for me.

(The bike is in the shop. The handlebars and fork were seriously bent. And the brakes and gears will have to be readjusted. I could be back in business this weekend or early next week.)

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Unrelated to the accident, I have decided to reduce the frequency of my posts to this blog. I have other writing projects. At the moment, I think I’ll be posting only on Monday and Thursdays. We’ll see. That’s the plan for now.