Once again the wintery weather deflated my plans to get out on the road last weekend. I did manage a short ride of 15 miles on Saturday afternoon - in the rain, actually sleet - but it was a half-hearted effort, to be frank I didn't want to be out there, it was miserable, windy, cold and I got soaked through. It should be warmer now? - The last few years have produced some remarkably warm and sunny days in early spring and this winter seems to have dragged on and on.
One thing though, during my ride I was encouraged by my speed - I opted for a hilly route around familiar roads and the miles passed quickly - I'm not sure if it was because my mind was on problems at work, I sometimes find that solutions to specific problems pop into my head when I'm out on the bike. There have been a number of occasions when I've needed to stop to tap something into my phone so that I don't forget it - today was one of those days and I felt mildly satisfied that despite the inclement conditions something positive had been produced. Perhaps because of that my riding pace had increased, the euphoric moment had somehow upped my performance?
Then on Sunday Gary sent me a text to say he'd had a close shave with a 4WD and a trailer - I called him and he told me that he'd been out around the lanes close to home and on a particularly nasty 'S' bend had been overtaken by a 4 wheel drive pulling a trailer - a car came in the opposite direction forcing the 4WD to push into the side and driving Gary off the road - then as the vehicle passed him, the trailer actually hit him! - thankfully he was okay and somehow managed to stay on his bike, although shocked and shaken. The vehicle didn't stop but Gary got the registration number and (like me) tapped it into his phone - a while later he spotted the same vehicle heading towards him from the opposite direction - he attempted to flag the driver down - but the vehicle carried on. After another 15 minutes or so he spotted the same vehicle again, obviously the driver was ferrying something backwards and forwards on the trailer - this time Gary stopped him and some choice words were exchanged! In essence the driver said that he didn't hit Gary and that Gary had stopped to let him pass!!! - Gary's bruised shoulder and damaged jacket tell a different story - and I understand that the police have now been informed - we await to see what course of action they will take (if any) - here is an example of the benefits of a helmet camera - recorded evidence!!
Anyway, this incident could obviously have been a whole lot worse - and serves as a timely reminder that even the quiet lanes are dangerous - there are plenty of arsehole drivers out there! - be careful.
It all started in 2011 - we decided to ride Lands End to John O Groats, since then we've completed a number of 'challenges' raising over £15,000 for various charities. You can read about our adventures here, and also our on-going efforts to keep on cycling!
Yes a lucky escape, we will see what the police can do about it. On the flip side of this, coming home tonight through the lanes at dusk I met two groups of cyclist coming towards me, most were wearing black(very fashionable but not easily seen), non were sporting lights front or back. Hey guys we owe it to ourselves to make sure we can be seen.
ReplyDeleteCurrently trawling the internet looking at helmet cams....contour roam 2 looks good at the moment.