I๐ฒ near Kozyn and got wiped out by a ๐ rear view mirror.
Wow ๐ not cool
But I came out alive and 99.9% well. The ๐ฒ hadn't obtained any significant scratches ๐.
How come โ
It was a sunny day with the lightest of winds. I was keeping my line, hugging the edge of the tarmac. I had blinking lights on the bike โ rear and front! โ both turned on. A sizeable group of motorcyclists went past me in the opposite direction on the opposite side of the road. They must've been going to Vytachiv, where else? And then I heard a short and loud sound resembling
three thick plastic sheets clapped together hard, right near my left ear.
๐ฅโผ๏ธ
Without a noticeable transition, I found myself on the roadside gravel, parted from my bike despite I was clipped in. One second later I came to the conclusion that I was rear-ended by someone. I saw a light blue car stopping a few dozen meters ahead with its hazard lights on. There were debris of a rear view mirror on the stretch of tarmac that separated me from that car. My cycling computer was beeping and asking me whether I was OK or not. I chose ยซI am OKยป.
A scared driver emerged from that car and approached me. I even shook his hand, being on adrenaline. I guess I shouldn't have? I checked myself: limbs were okay, I could move in all directions. The helmet was fine despite having struck the edge of the tarmac. The only two pain signals were coming from scratches on one elbow and the back. My long-sleeve and the backpack had holes after sliding on the road surface.Strava graphs of this event look like this:
Knockdown!
The sound, I guess, was a combination of mirror hitting my handlebars, my backpack (and probably helmet) hitting the side of the car, and the sound of unclipping from pedals.
โ What about the driver?
ย ย The driver was honest to tell me that... ๐ฅ
...he had been staring at these ๐๏ธ๐๏ธ๐๏ธ๐๏ธ and not looking at his lane for a couple of moments.
Everything happened fast. The wife called โ after being notified by the head unit (which was OK). I told her I was okay. The phone was okay, too, by the way.
I did not press any charges and let the driver go. Told him that:
3and that he should be driving with extra care here because the road is popular among the ๐ฒ junkies
That said and done, I rode back home using a side road. Drank an โ in Ukrainka, changed clothes and went to a family dinner as planned!
After some time passed, I noticed that I could not apply any pressure to the beaten elbow, as if some sand had stuck under the skin. This faded away completely as even more time passed.
I'm feeling sad for that old long-sleeve, it was a nice one for the autumn, with lots of reflective areas.
Let's get sad now. ๐
Dear car drivers!
Not everyone has been as lucky as I was this time. Someone had killed a respectable doctor this same year 2024, doing an overtake and oncoming into a group of cyclists โ who were large enough to be seen, and were not breaking the road rules. I knew the guy a bit. Remember him and drive more carefully. Not all cyclists are idiots like me โ some are valuable for the humanity.I am a driver myself. This time I lived.
Dear cyclists!
Remember that you are not safe even with the experience and obeying the traffic laws. The Doc was experienced. I am experienced. Use your helmets โ they help a bit, and we look better in them โ much better than the motorcyclists! That is all advice I got. You won't hear the ยซdo not rideยป advice from me. If you stop riding, that won't save you from other stuff like BMWs driving into people on a bus stop, or other shit that life is throwing on us.
Thanks to: My expensive helmet (without MIPS!) The softness of that roadside gravel
I am not thankful: The motorcyclists โ their beauty is dangerous and causes traffic accidents, as you can see!
