one year ago, on what was a sunny Friday afternoon, April 22, i geared up for a ride with my friend Karen Hilts. our plan was a relatively short 15ish mile ride from her house, about five or six miles away from my house, followed by a couple of beers with friends. you see, when the sun comes out in Portland, it's a pretty big deal. especially in April. especially on a Friday! outfitted in a sea of spandex--bright green tank and black cycling capris, yes, the kind with the ever-sexy padding--i packed my backpack with a polypro and a jacket, because it was still April after all and it would be chilly in a few hours, my brand new bike lights, which i had just picked up on my way home from work, and a water bottle, maybe two. i told Karen that i would be at her house around 5:15, so, i was going to be about 10 minutes late (story of my life!) but she knew i was coming, so, i did not stop to text her. at 4:55 PM carried my bike out my front door and set off to enjoy the kickoff to the weekend. unfortunately, things did not really go as planned.
i am relatively new to cycling in that i have only 'gotten into it' in the last three years or so. in fact, it was the decision to do a sprint triathlon that forced me to buy a bike. that said, i love riding! and, i love riding with my girlfriends. bitches and bikes. in general, i am a cautious rider, particularly in my neighborhood because it is full of uncontrolled intersections (which are, in my opinion, the dumbest thing i have ever seen in an urban environment!). and this day was no different.
i made the left turn off of McKenna (my street) onto Syracuse and was loving the warm sunshine. as i approached the intersection at Monteith, barely one block from my house, i slowed down, despite the fact that i did not have a stop sign and knowing that the north/south traffic on Monteith did. what happened in the next ten seconds is a bit of a blur, memory that i will probably never fully recover, according to one of many doctors i would see. i looked right and saw a car coming up Monteith; i knew that the car had a stop sign. i looked left, clear. i was slowly entering the intersection when i looked right again. "holy sh*t, that car is not gonna stop!"
the next thing i knew i was on the ground, no longer clipped into my bike. in fact, i had no idea where my bike was and i was not entirely sure how i came to be face down and intimate with the pavement--and it sure looks different that close up! but there i was. as i came to and started to lift my head i saw blood, though i had no idea where it was coming from. i saw a pair of feet near my face and heard someone telling me not to move, asking if i was okay and telling me that help was coming. then i heard sirens. and more voices--by then a small crowd had gathered. then there were EMTs and firemen and police.
despite passing the 'what's your name? where do you live? what's your social security number? what year is it? who is the President?' test, i was told that i would be going to the hospital. granted, i thought that the President question was a trick question but i also thought that knowing that i only lived a block away had to count for something. "really, you can just take me to my house," i said. i think it may have been my failure to accurately answer the last two questions that sealed my fate and gave me what i hope to be my first and last ride in the back of an ambulance: 'do you know what day it is?' and 'where were you going?' unfortunately, my answers to those two questions were the same: "i have no idea."
i remember joking with EMTs, saying, "well, clearly i was going out for a bike ride." but despite my best efforts to just get them to take me home, they decided, in their words, that i was acting in a manner that warranted being taken to the hospital. apparently a mild concussion is worth some attention. who knew?! familiar surroundings look entirely different laying on a gurney in the back of a speeding ambulance, trying to look out the tiny windows, wondering where you are. there were two EMTs, one of whom was a trainee. "we're just going to put this IV in now so that...," the more senior one tried to say. I cut him off. "uh, yeah..." i said, "i don't think i need that. really. i'm fine. and, i don't like needles. so..." i lost that argument.
the next thing i knew, i heard the muffled sound of my cell phone ringing. i looked to the EMT in training and said, "can you please answer that for me?" both EMTs laughed. he did not answer my phone, so i asked him if i could fish it out of my backpack. at that exact moment, i said, "i know where i was going! i was going to ride over to my friend Karen's house to go for a bike ride. that must have been her calling because i'm not there." i still did not know what day it was but despite that i remember feeling like i had just single-handedly solved the greatest mystery of all time! armed with my new discovery, i asked the EMTs if i could call my friend to let her know i was okay. they agreed and no sooner than the words had come from my mouth, Karen said, "i knew it. i'll meet you at Legacy."
turns out, at about that same time that i was trying to sweet talk the firemen and EMTs (looking like a million bucks, i am sure), Karen was wondering where i was. in fact, she almost instantly had a feeling that i had been hit by a car. she was right. i am constantly moved by this when i think back to that day, both the powerful bond of friendship and human psychic ability. call it what you want, or dismiss it as mere coincidence, but there is no doubt in MY mind that something intangible happened in that moment that is just another one of life's moments that sustains my belief in higher power. i won't get too spiritual but this was faith in action.
the rest of the story is long and boring and involves pain, x-rays, rehab, weight gain, anger, frustration and doctors. lots of doctors. suffice it to say that despite still being in treatment for back issues and having occasional aches and pains in the areas that were deeply bruised--my right cheekbone, the insides of my legs, just below my knees, and my chest--and having a little anxiety every time i get on my bike, i really am fine. in fact, i am blessed. and i am thankful every day!
my perspective as both a cyclist and as a driver has changed quite drastically, which i am still not sure is a good or a bad thing, but, it is.
i am convinced that my steel framed Gary Fisher took the brunt of the impact on my behalf: STEEL IS REAL, BABY! and i still need to write them that thank you letter that i have composed in my head a million times.
cyclists: PLEASE wear helmets! and don't just make your kiddos wear them and think that you don't need to. you do! my situation would have been much worse if i had not been wearing one. in fact, the front of my head would have probably been cracked open. lovely image, isn't it?! and, be cautious. it's the age old adage: it's the other people on the road that you need to worry about!
drivers: PLEASE PAY ATTENTION! i was hit one block from a k-8 school...it could have easily have been a child that this woman hit instead of me. and child may not have fared as well. in fact, it is very likely that a child would have been critically injured or even killed. (being 5'10" sitting on top of a bike has it's advantages.)
and, IF you ever do hit a cyclist, please do not tell the police that you were going 5-10 miles per hour when you were actually going 25-30. it's simple: most cars idle at 5 miles per hour. blowing a stop sign and hitting someone with enough force to knock them out of their clipless pedals clearly indicates that there was some speed involved! and finally, law enforcement officials: PLEASE cite drivers, staying at the scene and admitting fault and a lack of witnesses is really not reason enough to fail to issue a citation! it matters.
be safe, my friends. live a life you love and love the life you live. it's all we have!
special thanks to Gary Fisher/Trek--you build a badass bike--and to my dear friend Karen Hilts for staying with me and my pain-medicated self for three hours in the hospital and getting me home safely that night. xo.
