As a child of maybe10 or11 I have distinct recollections of doing wheelies down a 2 mile bendy hill near Bristol Airport. In recent years, however, I have had fears of even getting on a bike. What changed in between? Well part of it is simply getting older. More experience leads to more worries about things going wrong. At 10 or 11 I was fearless about the possibility of breaks failing at a crucial point or about colliding with a quiet unseen car. At 44 I worry even about cycling across a road if I think there is any semblance of danger.
Another central factor is in between events. At 15 on a quiet, straight stretch of road on a Sunday afternoon. I tested the new speedometer on my mountain bike. I thought to myself a crash is extremely unlikely. I gave no thought to two dogs shooting out right in front of me from behind a wall. There was no warning whatsoever. Breaking my collar bone was a seminal experience as was being bruised all over, my bike together with speedometer was a right off and I had little sympathy for the whines of the dog.
Aged 38 was a second experience. This one took place at 6.50am on a dark January morning. Going around a roundabout on the way to work the driver said he didn't see my front light which was working but a bit dim. The next thing I knew was my head hitting the tarmac at the opposite side if the car and the helmet breaking into three pieces. I must have gone over the bonnet and was extremely fortunate to be free of pain. Without headgear I could be dead!
This week I have made a fresh commitment to cycle but no more wheelies down bendy hills. Not for the present time anyway!
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