2023 Mileage: 3660.2
Arter reaching my mileage goal for the Great Cycling Challenge during September on Friday, I took Saturday off to catch my breath from the weariness I felt, and then took yesterday off, too, as it was the Tigers' last game of 2023 and superstar Miguel Cabrera's last game, as well.
Today, then, I hoped to get back into it, and set off at noon, intending to ride the Packard/Platt Square. However, it was a GREAT day of adventure (great in the sense of large, but definitely not good). I was barely getting started, only about 3 miles into the ride of nearly 14 miles, when, coming down the hill from the bridge that passes over the railroad tracks about a quarter mile east of State, my brakes failed entirely. As I was approaching the intersection of Eisenhower and Industrial, a truck, turned slowly in front of me, from eastbound Eisenhower onto southbound Industrial. And, knowing I needed to stop, I squeezed the brakes ... and nothing happened.
I collided with the right front of the truck, and it caused me to overturn and spill out of my seat onto the pavement, causing several instances of road rash. My trike was damaged, too ... something told to me later as I was being driven away, but which I didn't realize in the heat of the moment. Most gratefully, though, I was not seriously injured (in part because of my helmet, which was dinged up, but served its intended function).
Joe, the driver of the truck (a friendly, fortyish man) piled out, extremely concerned because from his seat, he couldn't see me (though he knew he had struck someone), and for all he knew, I could have been wedged under the truck. There was considerable commotion, of course, for a time. A passing nurse stopped to render what assistance she could, and Huron Valley Ambulance was soon called. Before very long at all, an ambulance was rolling up, and paramedics put me on a gurney and began loading me into the ambulance. I was a bit flummoxed by all the attention ... I felt basically uninjured, and as if the incident was my own fault, anyway. But they insisted on carting me to the hospital ER anyway, to be checked out.
After texting Christy and Michelle, and Christy got the text and soon joined me (along with Izzy), I settled in for a lengthy afternoon at the ER. I ended up being there for about 4 hours, during which time I did a LOT of sitting and waiting for spaces and personnel to be available, and eventually receiving a CT to check for head and spinal injuries, as well as four stitches for a sizable gash in my left forearm, as well as an updated tetanus booster (as my last one had been in 2017), Michelle and I were finally released about 5:30.
When we got home, I checked on the trike, which was in the garage as I had asked them to put it, after giving the garage code. I discovered that it was, indeed, damaged beyond the ability of either duct tape or super glue to repair ... one handlebar is broken off entirely. So that'll mean yet another trip to the dealer (Jack's in Dearborn) either tomorrow or later in the week. But I thank God for His protection and the helpful intervention of so many. It could have been so much worse.
This gave me a paltry ride of 3.0 miles in 31 minutes ... but I felt that its brevity was balanced by all the excitement I got to enjoy.
