I almost died today.
The Circumstances
No, I haven't been doing something stupid, in fact this occurrence had nothing to do with my choices, it had everything to do with the choices of someone else. I like to road bike because I enjoy the fresh air and love challenging myself against the mountains. Today, I struggled up hills against a contrary wind, saw a Lamborghini photo shoot next to a waterfall, and (unfortunately) hit a TON of red lights.
I usually see 5-10 other road bikers when I make this trip, more if I stick to the canyon trail instead of riding the road. On my way back down, I was about to go through an intersection at the bottom of a hill. The cars next to me were blasting through it at 40-50 miles an hour, but on that particular hill I average a little under 35 mph.
The car in front of me hit the intersection ahead of me, giving 2 oncoming cars time to turn left before I got there. I carefully check to make sure the walk signal is still lit and it is. Since this is a long crosswalk, that means I still have at least 25-30 seconds to make it before the light turns yellow.
The second car easily finishes clearing the intersection, and the rest of the cars in the turning lane have stopped, seemingly indicating they are going to wait for me to pass. I am 10 yards out, when...
...a third car turns left
...10 yards = 30 feet
...35 mph = 50 feet/sec
This is going to be a head-on collision in less than 1 second, and it is a 2000 lbs car against my 18 lbs carbon bike.
I slam on my brakes, knowing it will be impossible to get under 25 mph on such a light vehicle in such short time, and my bike immediately starts to skate back and forth underneath me. I let out a thunderous yell, which gets the attention of the distracted driver. She stops her car with the hood directly in my path: I need to get at least a foot to the right and I need to get there NOW.
Unfortunately, my bike is now fishtailing so wildly that my biking shoes have unclipped from the pedals, and I'm struggling to keep my balance. If I release the brakes too soon I will straighten out but my current speed will send me over the car's hood. If I try to hold the brakes too long, I will lose control of the bike and hit the pavement.
Milliseconds matter here. I decide to partially release the brakes, which reduces the fishtailing, and I happen to regain control when my bike is angled just right. I flash passed with inches to spare and several inappropriate words fluttering at the edge of my consciousness.
Why I'm Telling This Story
I had done everything right. I wear the proper gear - sunglasses, a bright white shirt, a reflective helmet and gloves, etc. My bike has all necessary reflectors, and I carefully monitor traffic and intersection signals. This also is a very common bike route, meaning that drivers will have seen dozens, if not hundreds of bikers at that intersection so far this year. None of that protected me from these circumstances - I remain unhurt because of my biking skill and blind luck (which I attribute to providence).
These are the sort of circumstances that could have easily cost me months/years of anguish, and might have even taken my life. I had no way to prepare for them, and no way to protect myself from them. Despite my careful preparation and defensive riding, I suddenly found my life at risk due to the choices of another person.
I have two takeaways from this experience.
First, all of us will face circumstances in life that are beyond our control - a lost job, a sick family member, any number of things. When trials come, and they will come, it is up to us to do our very best to endure them and trust that God will make up for any shortcomings. In Philippians 4:3, Paul famously said "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Second, don't EVER drive distracted, not ever again. Stop texting and put your phone away, or you may take someone's life.
As always, stay strong.
Austin
