We started the morning with a cup of coffee and free wifi off the first exit from our home in the woods at Tim Horton's. Tim Horton's almost always has a line out the door, but neither Ryan nor I can understand why. The coffee is not very good, but we are thankful and appreciative for a place to sit and rest our legs throughout our days and moments off the bike.
Rather than taking the highway, we moved one street over and followed rt. 134 to the town of Shediac. One would think that traveling by any other means than the highway would be safest for a bicycle, but sometimes that is not the case. The highway tends to have a huge shoulder where some side streets have nothing but potholes and car flying by at 60mph. Riding along, we came across a golf course with maybe two holes running parallel to the road. I was tucked as close as possible to Ryan's bike, drafting off him and avoiding the wind in our face as much as possible. Out of nowhere we here, "HEY!!!!! blah blah blah blah!" Not understanding what this man on the golf course is yelling to us. Often times, the people who yell are saying something negative about us on the road, which of course we both assumed was the case. Either something negative or possibly something was wrong with our bikes, etc. Ryan gently slowed down as I looked at this guy off to my right, not knowing Ryan was putting on his brakes. Before I knew it, my tire was caught between Ryan's wheel and his pannier and I could not get out. As I pulled left in attempts to release my tire, it did eventually come free, causing me to twist the tire and the bike to go down, right in the middle of the street. Thankfully the car behind me was paying attention and not driving too fast. He slowed right down and did not hit me or the oncoming traffic. Wow! That was a shock. Our first true bike accident. My hand went down and rubbed some of the skin away, along with the skin on my left ankle, knee and hip. My head hit the ground fairly hard, forcing the brim to fly off. I am so glad I was wearing my helmet. I quickly got up, picked up my bicycle and pulled off to the side, gave the cars in both directions a wave to let them know I was ok.
The man on the golf course came running toward us as Ryan regretfully yelled some choice words in his direction. It turns out he was the same guy we had met on Campobello Island while waiting for the ferry and was simply yelling hello. I felt so sorry for him because he felt horrible. There goes his golf game! We said quick hellos before he ran back to his shot and carried on. From then on, I stayed back a few feet from Ryan's bike while the air burned my open wounds. As we were riding, I realized how potentially bad this could have been, whether that being personally hit by a car or the car avoided me and therefore swerving into the other lane causing a head-on collision. Very thankful that neither instance occurred, I would be more aware of my distance to Ryan's bicycle and will continue to wear my helmet.
Everything has felt a touch off since then. Stopping in the town of Shediac at the grocery store, we were approached by a woman who offered her yard that sits on the beach to set up our tent. Not feeling quite up to par, we think we will take her up on this offer and regroup. A load of laundry should be in our future and a shower would help as well.
Rather than taking the highway, we moved one street over and followed rt. 134 to the town of Shediac. One would think that traveling by any other means than the highway would be safest for a bicycle, but sometimes that is not the case. The highway tends to have a huge shoulder where some side streets have nothing but potholes and car flying by at 60mph. Riding along, we came across a golf course with maybe two holes running parallel to the road. I was tucked as close as possible to Ryan's bike, drafting off him and avoiding the wind in our face as much as possible. Out of nowhere we here, "HEY!!!!! blah blah blah blah!" Not understanding what this man on the golf course is yelling to us. Often times, the people who yell are saying something negative about us on the road, which of course we both assumed was the case. Either something negative or possibly something was wrong with our bikes, etc. Ryan gently slowed down as I looked at this guy off to my right, not knowing Ryan was putting on his brakes. Before I knew it, my tire was caught between Ryan's wheel and his pannier and I could not get out. As I pulled left in attempts to release my tire, it did eventually come free, causing me to twist the tire and the bike to go down, right in the middle of the street. Thankfully the car behind me was paying attention and not driving too fast. He slowed right down and did not hit me or the oncoming traffic. Wow! That was a shock. Our first true bike accident. My hand went down and rubbed some of the skin away, along with the skin on my left ankle, knee and hip. My head hit the ground fairly hard, forcing the brim to fly off. I am so glad I was wearing my helmet. I quickly got up, picked up my bicycle and pulled off to the side, gave the cars in both directions a wave to let them know I was ok.
The man on the golf course came running toward us as Ryan regretfully yelled some choice words in his direction. It turns out he was the same guy we had met on Campobello Island while waiting for the ferry and was simply yelling hello. I felt so sorry for him because he felt horrible. There goes his golf game! We said quick hellos before he ran back to his shot and carried on. From then on, I stayed back a few feet from Ryan's bike while the air burned my open wounds. As we were riding, I realized how potentially bad this could have been, whether that being personally hit by a car or the car avoided me and therefore swerving into the other lane causing a head-on collision. Very thankful that neither instance occurred, I would be more aware of my distance to Ryan's bicycle and will continue to wear my helmet.
Everything has felt a touch off since then. Stopping in the town of Shediac at the grocery store, we were approached by a woman who offered her yard that sits on the beach to set up our tent. Not feeling quite up to par, we think we will take her up on this offer and regroup. A load of laundry should be in our future and a shower would help as well.
I’m glad you’ve only gone through a petty accident, which didn’t need any legal action. Yet it was awakening enough to make you more watchful of your trail and biking habits. What joy it would be if every case can be resolved as easily as yours – just simply giving a wave to signal you’re okay. Always keep safe!
ReplyDeletePenelope Worrall
Thanks, Penelope! We are very thankful for the few falls we have had over the years. Most of which consist of me falling over in tight quaters in Europe because I could not get out of my pedal fast enough:-) Great reminders to wear helmets!
ReplyDeleteEven if it’s a minor accident, I know, in some way, you still suffered pain. But what matters is that you and Ryan are both okay. You guys are so fortunate that the car behind you was really paying his attention on the road. If not, you might have gotten into a more serious accident. Wearing the proper gear will also help you to stay safe. It’s nice if you’d do that and it’s really a good reminder for everyone.
ReplyDeleteCindie Guevara
Penelope’s right, you should observe good biking habits in order to avoid accidents. Put more attention on the road than any other things because it’s not all the time that you will encounter the same driver that is mindful and observant like him. Thank goodness that nothing serious happened. Remember always that any serious offense that’ll be committed is punishable by law.
ReplyDeleteTracy Pierre