A Bike Ride

I am cruising pretty well. 22, 23 mph. Look out Tour de France. I like this stretch of road, not too many lights, mostly flat. I can really get some speed up and maintain it. Hey, there goes Suzy and the boys. On their way home from the zoo. I hope they had a good time. I'll see them at home in about four minutes at this speed. There's the new library, it is looking good, not too long now until it opens up. Lousy construction, blocking the bike lane. Have to go out in the street, check for cars. Okay, nobody close here I go. Alright, I am moving good. Bike lane is almost back, get ready to move on over. Here we go, oh, too far, oh, forgot they removed the gutter for construction. Uh oh, this isn't good. Stuck in here, can't get out, I think I am going down. Hold it for a little more, too late. No time for thought, just don't hit your head, why oh why are you falling face first. Ground coming up fast, can't do anything about it. Whip, crack, oh that is going to hurt. Hey, that didn't hurt too bad, ow, that did. Whew the worst is over. Okay, pull your bike onto the sidewalk. Sit and catch you breath. Anything broken? Doesn't seem like it. Too much bleeding? There is a lot from that arm, oops, that one too. Legs look pretty good. Drip, drip. What is that dripping? Oh, my face must be cut up pretty bad. They always say that head wounds bleed a lot, and it appears that they are correct. Drip. Drip. Alright, something is not right on my chin, but, it doesn't appear to be critical. Check out the bike. Handle bars askew, I can straighten them out. Drip. Right hand brake is bent up, test it out. Seems to work still. Chain is off the gears in front, I can pop that back on. Drip. Check out the helmet. Hey, where's the front part of the helmet? Oh, there it is in the street. Wow, the helmet has some good dents. Thanks God, for making wearing my helmet my obsessive/compulsive manifestation. Hey, where are my glasses. Drip. There they are, in the bike lane. Try to put them on. Oops, they seem to be pretty well scratched up and bent. Stuff them in your pocket. Drip. Alright. Suzy is probably getting worried 'cause I should be home by now. Take a deep breath, calm down a bit and get back on that bike, you gotta get home. Drip. Alright that isn't so bad. Test the break again before I get going too fast. Seems pretty good. Drip. Okay, not too sore, I can make it home easy. Drip. There is Hampton Place. Home sweet home is right around the corner. Suzy is going to freak out when she sees me. I wonder what my face looks like. I know this shirt is a total loss, blood and dirt all over it. Drip. Let's see what Oxy Clean can do with that! There's Suzy, she doesn't look good. No, I am fine. I need to get cleaned up. I don't know if I need stitches, I haven't taken a look yet. I am going to jump in the shower to clean some of these abrasions off. Hi Daniel. Yes, I fell of my bike. Sorry buddy, I can't play legos with you right now, I have to go stop bleeding first.

That was last Thursday. I am mostly fine now. A couple of hours waiting in the emergency room encouraged me that the triage nurse didn't think that I was dying. Eight stitches and a tetanus shot by the doctor furthered that opinion. I am a little sore still, and with lots of road rash on my arms, the stitches should come out at the end of this week. If I wasn't wearing my helmet I may not have died, but I certainly wouldn't have been able to ride away. Always, always, always wear your helmet.