the crash

galveston has not been kind to me lately. the weather has been HOT and HUMID here (97-99 degrees) so i decided to head to galveston for my long ride today. i got there early and the winds were nuts. that was my first bone to pick with the island!

after grumbling through the first 17 or so miles, i decided to head back. i was about 5-7 miles away from my car....i believe a jon mclaughlin song was running through my brain (to take my mind off my burning quads) and a bright yellow car turns right immediately in front of me. i mean IMMEDIATELY in front of me. this was not an intersection...i was not in the wrong at all. i had those 2 seconds to compute that i was going to be in an accident but not enough time to react.

the next thing i knew i was lying on the asphalt. i honestly don't remember the fall, but i guess i let go of the handlebars. this was a good thing because my shoes are clipped into my bike and i think my bike would have landed on me had i not let go off the bike---giving the chance for my legs to break out of the clips.

i slowly got up. the car had stopped, but no person had yet immerged from the vehicle. i knew my hip and back were not happy, but i also knew that i wasn't gravely injured....honestly, i was just feeling relieved at that point...and shocked at what had just happened.

a 25 year old (or so) girl with a cigarrette got out of the car and asked if i was okay. she then proceeded to tell me that it wasn't safe to be riding my bike on this street---as if this were my fault!! i very calmly told her that i ride that road all the time and that i am not the only one.
(this whole time my brain is just thinking "i can't believe i got hit by a car. my back and hip hurt, but i'm so thankful that is it!") eventually i just said i'm fine and let her go...then i road the miles back to my car.

i went into walmart to change clothes because no one likes to see spandex without a bike! i looked in the mirror and i had gravel and asphalt all over my back and arms. i think i hit pretty hard. my left hip was already starting to bruise.

i'm finding new things as the day progresses. i have a huge knot on my left leg that isn't backing down. my left hip is a sight to behold. i have a piece of gravel imbedded in my left palm. i have a bruise forming on my left elbow. my back is getting more sore by the minute. i'm hopeful that this will start to improve over the coming days, but if not i will have to find either a local masseuse or a chiropractor.

all in all, very glad to not be in the hospital right now. i do not want this to happen again, but the odds are that it will if i continue road biking. it was scary, but i will be on a bike again tomorrow....likely in the comfort of my new gym. i do have a triathlon next weekend, so i will be out on the road in a week.