Biking in Halifax

Now for the story of my and bike and I. In the last year I have had three accidents on my bike, I ride a fixie (Google that if it’s not familiar). Stopping can be a bit more difficult on a fix gear but all three times this was not the cause. The cause has been for two of the times, cars who don’t pay attention. The other was my own lack of attention but it only affected me.

 First accident; I was driving down the Bedford highway (not a real highway by the way, standard 50km speed limit) riding in the bike lane. When a car going to the same direction as me stops suddenly and waved in the car coming from the opposite direction trying to get into a MacDonald’s parking lot on the opposite side of the street. He peeled in and I crashed into his hood ruining my front wheel, fork and left shoulder.

Second accident; I on my way to yoga class was pedaling down hill, hit a pot hole, wasn’t holding my handle bars with any real control, and flipped directly over the bars onto my back. This had no damage to anything but my back and ego. No one was watching and no one came to see if I was ok. Missed 2 workouts with back stiffness, but was told by the ER Doc that I obviously know how to take a fall.

Third accident; one month after the first yoga crash on my way to yoga again I got t-boned by a jeep at a 4-way stop. It was clearly my turn to go, I was half way through the intersection and the jeep gunned it. I was looking right at his face which happened to be looking down at his dashboard. I managed to peddle so that only the back end of my bike was hit. I rolled off landing on my lower back and he managed to ruin my back tire and rim and bend my frame. After I screamed profanities at him he apologized admitted he was in the wrong and drove away. He bloody drove away, didn’t get out and ask if I was ok just yelled out his window “sorry, I didn’t see you, my bad”. I got his license plate number and called the police and am waiting to hear back about who he was. I am going to make him pay for my unsalvageable bike and may or may not yell some more profanities at him.

Moral of the story, I am not going to be a triathlete.