It's been awhile because I've been injured. Well, apart from a large bruise on my shoulder, it's all been injured pride. Last week I got cruelly savaged by first a pot-hole in the middle of a 135° turning and the next morning floored by a car door. Not a great 24 hours on the bike. So after cooling and calming down, here's a blow-by-blow account of what happened.
First up, there's quite a tough turning in Fulmer. There's a steep downhill 60mph road to start on and a left turn off that, going back on yourself 45° and steeply uphill. Difficult at the best of times. I'd not been that way in a few months so the giant pot-hole that took up the entire left side of the road took me a little by surprise. It also would have taken me right across the road and into oncoming traffic if I hadn't dropped to the floor. Needless to say, that hurt. But probably a lot less than an incoming car bonnet.
Then, the bigger incident. The next morning, I'm coming up to a junction and going around a parked car. At pretty much the worst possible moment the woman in the parked car opened her door into me. I hit the door full on and flew, thankfully, onto the pavement.
At this stage, I was ready to fly into a rage. But to her credit the woman that hit me was instantly there checking if I was ok and offering to take me to hospital or buy me a coffee or anything she could do to help. It's bloody difficult to be angry at someone who has already realised they've fucked up and is trying to say sorry.
And why couldn't this have happened when I had time to accept an apology coffee? As it happens, I was already late for work and I had no time, even for hearing her stammer out how sorry she was. So I said I was fine (which I was) and headed into work to milk it and get out of working too hard for most of the day.
I said I was fine then. The next morning, everything ached. I could barely walk let alone cycle and it kept me off my bike for the rest of the week and cost me £20 in tube fares. I so should have taken that free coffee.
