This is just a small thing in the scheme of life. But ever since my bike accident, I have to talk myself into getting out there and riding again. I hate being fearful, but I'm having a hard time letting go of those fears.
You see, I live in an area where the laws are sketchy, and the enforcement of those laws is even sketchier. For example, I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket in these parts for not wearing a seatbelt. I've literally been beside a car where the kids were all jumping around in the back seat and the officer in the patrol car behind them did absolutely nothing. So it follows that even though there are leash laws, many people here simply let their animals roam and nothing is ever done about it. On the web site for the local Central Georgia Cyclists, there are always postings like, "If you're pedaling Rogers Road today, watch out for a white pit bull on the loose."
Three years ago, I was pedaling up a fairly steep hill in a neighborhood when a dog ran out in the road and bit me on the calf. The redneck-looking owner was standing right out in his front yard, watching. I later came to find out that this dog owner also got his kicks out of posting internet want ads for Asian women to give him massages in his jacuzzi. True story! But I digress. On all my bike rides, I'm always vigilant for dogs on the loose and I've come to expect being pursued by snarling, chasing dogs. It's pitiful, but after the dog bite incident, I started planning my routes to avoid the aggressive dogs I've encountered.
Anyhow, one June morning I was pedaling down a road in Macon that's always been fairly deserted. It has very little traffic and I had come to trust the road as sort of a safe haven for riding. It has a long, slow downgrade, so I was cruising along at a fair clip. I had just checked my speed and was going somewhere between 20-25 mph. I rounded a bend in the road and surprise! There was a man walking his two dogs. Before I hardly knew what was happening, one of the dogs began barking and running across the street at me. I have no memory about what happened next, but remember the TV show Laugh In? Artie Johnson played a character in a raincoat who rode a tricycle and always fell over sideways and crashed. Well, that's exactly how I crashed! I went from 23 mph to 0 in about two seconds. When my husband later picked up my bike, my bike shoes were still clipped into the pedals. The police officer who came to the scene couldn't figure out how to unclip them, so he just took my feet out of the shoes!
I was unconscious when the paramedics took me to the hospital and was slipping in and out of consciousness the entire time I was in the emergency room. I spent 2-1/2 days in the hospital with vision problems, severe road rash on the shoulder and hip, and a couple of broken ribs. I had two places where my brain was bleeding and had a total of three catscans before they were satisfied that the bleeding had stopped. My bike helmet was cracked and I was told it probably saved my life. I was out of work for about three weeks and slept alot at home, dealing with double vision and vertigo problems.
It was three months before I got on a bike again, and then only when someone accompanied me. I've still just gone on two rides by myself. The sound of a dog barking at me while riding starts my heart racing! I'm determined not to let this experience stop me from riding my bike. But silly as it sounds, I really do have to summon up my courage and subdue my fears every time I ride!
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