See You on the Other Side

It's been about a month since my last post, a gap that should stick out like a wool suit at a Metallica concert. A lot has happened, both some really cool stuff and some "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" stuff. I did get the new bike that I was gushing about in my last post, and it is awesome.

I was on said new bike when I collided with a late '60's hot rod on the shoulder of Allegheny River Blvd last Tuesday. I think it was a Pontiac. Somebody in a car just ahead of me waved to him to tell him that he could turn left in front of them and no one considered the fact that I might be there. I'm not entirely angry at the drivers involved; I can see how it might be easy to gloss over the fact that a bike just may be coming past on the shoulder. Well, I should say that I am angry, but that I can kind of understand. Still, after talking to both cops and a lawyer about it, it was the driver's fault. Thankfully both me and the bike needed surprisingly little care afterwards. I took the bike to the Trek store on Centre (highly recommended; great folks there, especially Chris in the shop) and decided to take myself to UPMC Urgent Care down the street. A front wheel trueing, some ibuprofen and some ice; that was it. Nothing broken, nothing mangled. PtL.

Anyway, I could go on in detail about the crash and what happened immediately after, but the more important topic is what happened in the following days. I have been really schized out about hopping back in the saddle. so much so that it has even kept me from posting for awhile. Not that I could keep up the early pace.

I'm proud to say that despite some lingering neuroticism, I have continued to ride to work. Not everyday, which makes me feel a bit defeated, but then again, I don't think that was completely feasible to begin with. Plus, I think it's understandable, given the trauma. Anyway, I now take Lincoln Rd/Ave from Verona Rd and ride it to Frankstown Ave and through Bakery Square to Ellsworth in Shadyside and then on to Oakland. Same route back to fair Verona. I might write another post today to tell about how wonderfully crappy the winter weather was this morning, stay tuned. The Suburban Express (tentatively) rolls on...