Red lights, hard ground

I rode three days this week. A funeral to attend on Thursday and a meeting in Bendigo on Friday always meant a short commuting week, but as it turned out, three days was all I could have done. Fine weather like on Monday and Tuesday seems to bring more people onto the bike paths - both cyclists and pedestrians - and the level of excitement goes up correspondingly. Riding home Tuesday night, towards the city, about opposite Melbourne High on the Yarra Trail, I was pottering along on my side, with a group of pedestrians heading towards me on their side. Next thing I became aware that a cyclist is heading straight towards me, passing the pedestrians. Rapid application of brakes and some evasive action all round, plus an exchange of some expletives ensued, but no harm done on this occasion, except perhaps to the pedestrians' estimation of cyclists.

On Wednesday, after a frazzling day, I headed off home with rain threatening. On the Yarra trail, my pannier decided to give up the ghost - its one of those panniers that converts to a backpack, by means of a panel that zips on over the backpack straps. Zip totally clackered. Dang. Stop, convert to back pack. Start again. Rain starts. Stop, put on rain coat. Ride along north bank of Yarra. My timing seems totally off this night, and I miss every light change. Interminable traffic lights seem to be taking forever. Steamy in rain coat, back pack uncomfortable, mood fraying.

Next bit is a bit foggy, and as riding through red lights is a traffic offense which can incur a hefty fine in the state of Victoria, my account below may or may not be accurate. I know I rode past the Mission for Seamen to the lights across Docklands Highway at the intersection with Batmans Hill Drive. I might or might not thought that the lights were going green for the traffic coming out of Batmans Hill drive and so I could head across, even though the pedestrian lights were red facing me. And I might or might not have found myself half way across 5 lanes of impatient traffic on a wet melbourne night when the lights they were facing turned green. Cleared lanes one, two and three. Lady in a four wheel drive in lane four didn't see me, because she didn't expect an idiot on a bicycle riding across the traffic . Front wheel of my bike might or might not have collided with fender of said four wheel drive and with considerable velocity I might or might not have hit the road. Prospect of getting hit by another car made me bounce up again very quickly and I managed to get to the central traffic island, and reassure lady in the car that I was fine (My sincere apologies to her for what happened - I'm sure it didn't improve her evening either. Terribly sorry)

A few cyclists rode past like I was invisible. A pedestrian who'd seen what had happened came up and asked if I needed any help - special thanks to her.
My bike's front wheel had a significant buckle but was still ridable with the front brake slackened right off. I'd just about wrenched the brake hoods off the handle bars, but apart from that the bike was still ridable. I'd landed on my right arm, deep cut and grazes just below the elbow, and my right leg hurt. I felt sort of shakey and shocked. But way the worst thing was that I couldn't believe that I'd been so stupid. I'd never think of running a red light in a car, I'm a law abiding middle aged LIBRARIAN for god's sake, but for no particularly good reason I'd risked serious injury or death for a few seconds off my commute time, because it was raining, because I was tired and in a bad mood.

As I was wobbled slowly home I had plenty of time to berate myself, in between feeling increasingly sore and sorry. I got hit by a car that went through a red light 21 years ago - (still using the same bike today) - and, though this was a less serious encounter in terms of velocity, the ground this time was as hard or harder, and that feeling like every muscle in your body has been wrenched a bit was all too familiar.

Salters Cycles retrued the wheel beautifully for $20. I've got some spectacular side-plate sized bruises turning a ripe shade of greeny purple now. Hopefully the whole experience has been sufficient to teach me not to be so dumb in the future. Not ever.

Tally for the week:

170 kms
Rain: Wednesday night
Near misses: one
Hits: one
Punctures: none
$ spent on bike stuff: $20 to fix the buckle in the front wheel