3 Strikes and You're Hurt

3 Strikes and you're hurt. I crashed on my bicycle again last weekend. The 3rd time in 3 years. I feel fortunate to still have my nose and teeth after those wrecks. They feel as if they parallel the stuff going around me in my life.

The first bicycle crash was coming down the bike ramp at the park. I had an empty can in one hand, and my grip hand on the front break. Well, it picked up speed unexpectadely, so I grabbed the break and went head first over the handle bars. I let the bicycle go and sailed sliding landing flat on my belly scraping the pavement with my shoulder and feet. Wearing short sleeved and sandels, I was pretty bruised. The people around me were pretty startled, and amazed. They asked several times if was ok, and my only reply was that my face is fine. Actually I was really lucky I didn't land on someone like a child or an elderly person, and got them killed them. The scrapes and soreness took a month to disappear.

The second crash was one morning racing towards the park and the train station headed to work. The road was a narrow one, barely passable for 2 cars at a time. And with many side streets and blind turns. Well, while on my way an elderly man turned off the side street in front of me without looked. I hit him head on. Again, I knew if I hit him with my full weight he might end up in the hospital. So I let the bike go and thrust myself over his bike past him, and landed on my side rolling like a stuntman. My wind got knocked out of me a bit and it took minutes to catch my breath. The old guy was cut by his peddle and apologizing for pulling in front of me.

The latest crash and hopefully the last happened on my way home from partying. I was coming down a different hill into the park, one I always take. To be honest this was influenced by alcohol. Well, at the bottom of the small hill is a bar to block cars. Normally I go left or right to avoid it. This time without thinking I was headed straight it it, in a daze. But then I saw the bar and didn't have time to go left or right, and put the brakes on not hit, but also not to go over my handle bars. Well I still hit it anyways, and instead of taking the brunt of the hit in my gut, I launched myself over the guard rail, landing square on my shoulder and rolling a bit. This one hurt pretty bad and wondered if I was going to end up in the hospital this time. I limped home on my bicycle and woke up in pain. I suffered for about a week, but my shoulder has limbered up, and bicycle safe from me in the parking garage.