my first bike-commuting crash

[Cdalekat]

My commute through the city takes me down some very wide and heavily populated roads. The particular road in question is 4 lanes of driving traffic divided by a median, a bike lane each side, plus an additional parking lane on each side.

Of course, there is a bus route on this road. Since the bus stop in on the sidewalk, the bus swerves out of its lane, into the bike lane, to get as close to the bus stop as possible.

This entails a decision on my part - to the right of the bus, or to the left of the bus? Decisions, decisions. I learned very quickly that to the left of the bus was the highly more practical decision for several reasons....

... unless the bus has finished letting on all its passengers and is ready to start moving again.

So I'm coming up on this bus, and as I'm just about on it, I see the last passenger get on and the left turn signal starts to flash. I know this means the bus is ready to return to its lane, and I'm not sure if the bus driver saw me, so I brake with the intention of simply falling behind it.

My husband was behind me on his bike. He doesn't have disc brakes. I do.

I braked for the bus, but my husband thought I was going to simply attempt to zoom past (yeah right - I've *seen* what happens when someone gets hit by a bus. I've experienced that level of pain and injury. I have no intention of going through it again).

So my husband couldn't brake in time. He runs into me and our bikes interlocked, unable to separate.

A quick struggle ensues in which we start verring off to the left.... into the lane of oncoming traffic... as we are already falling, I risk a glance over my shoulder to see a blue car in the perfect position to hit me .... but somehow we completed the fall instead of continuing with the forward motion.

We are an entangled mess, taking up the entire right lane while traffic passes us on the left. A close-by parking lot attendant comes over us to stop traffic and help us.

My husband untangles himself and lifts his bike off of me, allowing me to lift my bike off myself, unclip my one foot that was still clipped, and then get up. I collect my reflector from the pavement and we limp to the sidewalk to assess the damage.

We immediately notice the very large bruise, complete with interesting pattern on my thigh. I ask my husband if he has any damage. He's looking over his bike and says, "I don't think so...." No, I say. Not your bike - how are *you*?

We spend some time trying to figure out exactly where the pattern on my leg came from, but we can't. Assessed bicycle damage? One reflector.

We take a couple moments to breathe and get back on to finish the ride into work. I lead, and travel slow due to a very angry quad muscle.

Biking home tonight should be interesting (ie, painful).

[pedalfaster]

Glad to you and your husband AND your bikes are all "ok".

It's cool that you get to commute together!

[bentforlife]

I'm so glad you were not hurt worse. How fortunate for you that your husband commutes with you.

Take care of that bruise! Lots of ice and ibuprophen or Tylenol.

Donna

[Veronica]

Ouch! Take it easy today.

Veronica

[Cdalekat]

Thanks all!
One bag of ice and one naprosen later, I have a spectacular bruise to show off!

I'm debating if I can do a leg day at the gym tomorrow. I think I'll try, but keep the weights lighter than normal.