When I awoke, I didn't realize how close to dying I would come later in the day.
The day started out innocently enough with a beautiful, sunlit, blue bird July sky. A warm morning breeze wafted through the house, carrying with it the smell of fresh cut grass and summertime.
I quickly gathered some bike clothing, brushed my teeth, said good morning to my dog and headed to the garage. Zoey leaned against the wall, waiting patiently as always.
I donned my helmet & sunglasses, put the water bottles in the cages, clicked into the pedals and off I went.
Traffic was light as I headed out to ride across the bucolic New Hampshire countryside. My route would take me by ponds, farms, covered bridges, roadside streams, undulating hills, and quaint New England hamlets of Central New Hampshire. It was a route I knew well, and enjoyed tremendously.
The ride was wonderfully uneventful, and I was soon on the home stretch. The last three miles of the route are on a rather busy road, and since it was my daughter's birthday, I didn't want to chance a accident. I chose to take a detour that would add 2-3 more miles, and one, long, big hill. Although longer and harder then the route I would normally take, it was much less traveled, and therefore safer in my mind.
Nearing the top of the big hill, I was passed by a FedEx truck. I was a bit upset at this, because I knew I would quickly catch him on the 3 mile twisting decent to my house. Sure enough, not that far from the top, I caught him.
Since I couldn't pass him on the twisting, steep descent, I decided that I would save some energy and draft him. I looked at my speedometer and noticed we were going a little of 50 mph. I was quite impressed with this driver's skill considering how perilously narrow the road was.
It was right at this point that I decided that maybe this wasn't such a good idea. No sooner had I thought that, the FedEx driver missed his turn and slammed on his brakes. I didn't even have time to scream any expletives before slamming into the back of the truck at 47 mph.
I survived the initial impact rather unscathed. Sadly, Newton's Third Law of Motion states "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction." I bounced off the truck like a baseball off a bat, slamming into the ground with some distinction. The impact with the road shattered my helmet, pushing it forward, breaking both my glasses and my nose. Both the bicycle and I continued sliding and tumbling down the road, until suddenly coming to a stop against a tree.
I sat up rather slowly, checking myself for injuries. I had blood dripping from my broken nose. My body was covered in road rash, with both knees and elbows bleeding. I had (and still do) bone chips in my elbow, and although I didn't know it then, a slight concussion. So much for going the long way to stay safe.
The poor FedEx driver didn't know I had hit him until he saw me go tumbling by. He ran to me to see if I was okay, and all I could think to ask him was "how's my bike?". Thankfully, my bike was unscathed! The driver was horrified, so I reassured him that it was my fault entirely.
I ask to use his phone to call my wife. It went something like this "Leslie, I am alive and that is a good thing. However, I've seemed to have had a run in with the back of a FedEx truck and need you to come get me. I don't think I can the ride rest of the way home." Well, you can only imagine her reaction.
After we got home, I showered and cleaned up my wounds as best I could. I did not go to the hospital (although I should have), because I had no desire to ruin my daughter's birthday party.
The ironic twist to this story is that the very same FedEx driver delivered my new bike helmet the following week. The look of recognition and surprise on his face was priceless.
Remember, always wear a helmet when riding your bicycle and never, ever draft behind moving vehicles unless you are a professional!
Thanks for reading...
