Bicycle Enthusiasts

[Fryowa]

Interesting! I was wondering why a guy would be interested in traveling to Iowa to ride and break a record in rural Iowa. Like as you stated, a relatively simple route compared to a lot of places you all go to ride. It just seemed odd. Kind of still is when thinking about the record and specific ride he traveled for to break the KOM.

I doubt he traveled here for that...my guess is he was here visiting people or for some other travel reason and just went for a ride.

I've done that by accident plenty of times where I just go out for a random ride and when I get home I get an email saying I stole someone's KOM that I didn't even know about.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I doubt he traveled here for that...my guess is he was here visiting people or for some other travel reason and just went for a ride.

I've done that by accident plenty of times where I just go out for a random ride and when I get home I get an email saying I stole someone's KOM that I didn't even know about.

Oh.

 

[HawkGold]

I never heard a thing when I got hit. The only thing I heard was the air through my helmet straps and then bam.

I had a flashing red that was visible at over a mile. Sometimes it’s just your day to get fucked up.

Oh and no one should ever use one of those little dental mirrors on a stick that attach to your helmet. They look like a smart idea but just the opposite. Throw it away if anyone has one. Had a rider on the Boji campus ride a few years ago wipe out and the mirror broke off, the stem of it went through his cheek just below his eye and jammed in his lower jaw inside his mouth. Gruesome injury I wish I hadn’t seen, had to have surgery and was on antibiotics for a long time because of the infection. Why anyone would want to ride a bike at 20 mph+ with what’s essentially a knitting needle sticking straight out from their forehead is beyond me.

Last safety note of the day—don’t ever ride a bicycle with out handlebar plugs. Don’t ask me how I know because that’s a scene I don’t want to relive.

Wow Fry. You still bike? I had a hard time getting back on after going over the bars from a shop repair mistake.

What was the situation where you didn't hear the truck?

Agree about the helmet mirrors.

Life is about managing risk. You can't remove it completely. Each of us has our own risk tolerance through life experiences. I love traveling Internationally literally in the boonies and feel safer there in someways than in the rural US. Thought about it a while as to why. The reason is that I am much more alert. This last weekend in Council Bluffs I was screamed at and confronted by a guy getting out of his pickup truck as I delayed him by maybe 5 seconds. Overseas I would have not been as relaxed and would have been more aware.

In my youth I loved horse barrel racing and just pushing the horse and rider to the limit. I don't ride any more due to the cost. I used to do dirt motorcycles. I don't anymore and neither did I allow my kids due to risk (and injuries). I stopped hard cornering on my bicycle due to an accident a few years ago when I lost traction and cracked my helmet as a result.

Electric cars can sneak up on people pretty easy.

The wife and I bike well together except at intersections. I prefer to move like I would in a car or motorcycle. She's more hesitant that sometimes causes problems as she gets unpredictable. But someday someone might not see me from distractions.

 

[HawkGold]

Well, I was talking about county black top or rural highways, many concrete with markings.

If I remember correctly, you can't always hear the vehicles well, which can depend on the wind at times. You may hear them coming, but man, are they paying attention or see you. Then you have to trust they don't veer at the last second because not paying attention. Cars can easily and quickly drift.

Good points. Remember watching KF teams can give you a stroke...

 

[Fryowa]

Wow Fry. You still bike? I had a hard time getting back on after going over the bars from a shop repair mistake.

What was the situation where you didn't hear the truck?

It was the accident I talked about in Post #6

 

[HawkGold]

It was the accident I talked about in Post #6

I understand that. I was asking what were the circumstances that prevented you from hearing the truck? Wind? Music? Daydreaming? Stealth?

 

[Fryowa]

I understand that. I was asking what were the circumstances that prevented you from hearing the truck? Wind? Music? Daydreaming? Stealth?

Ahh gotcha.

Slight headwind, no music, no daydreaming. Had a white and red jersey on, around noon, and a flashing red that I tested with my brother that could easily be seen well over a mile away. I was probably 18” off the white line. No hard shoulder.

Helmet strap wind noise was it and a super quiet pick up.

The guy who hit me claimed he only wore one contact (as prescribed) and that it had fallen out and he never saw me. I know it’s a dumb excuse but that’s what he said. Later on when trying to get my med bills paid his employer’s insurance company got REALLY bucky and wanted to get interviews with me, asked for my past medical history (which is typical), they wanted interviews with certain other people…basically they were fighting it as much as they could. My lawyer sent them a request for the driver’s cell phone records and magically the whole thing was settled about 3 days after that.

Told me everything I needed to know.

Obviously the guy was texting; as soon as we asked to see his records they were done fighting.

 

[HawkGold]

Ahh gotcha.

Slight headwind, no music, no daydreaming. Had a white and red jersey on, around noon, and a flashing red that I tested with my brother that could easily be seen well over a mile away. I was probably 18” off the white line. No hard shoulder.

Helmet strap wind noise was it and a super quiet pick up.

The guy who hit me claimed he only wore one contact (as prescribed) and that it had fallen out and he never saw me. I know it’s a dumb excuse but that’s what he said. Later on when trying to get my med bills paid his employer’s insurance company got REALLY bucky and wanted to get interviews with me, asked for my past medical history (which is typical), they wanted interviews with certain other people…basically they were fighting it as much as they could. My lawyer sent them a request for the driver’s cell phone records and magically the whole thing was settled about 3 days after that.

Told me everything I needed to know.

Obviously the guy was texting; as soon as we asked to see his records they were done fighting.

Incredible story. And you still ride today...

 

[Fryowa]

Incredible story. And you still ride today...

Yep. It’s actually a more involved story that would take a long time to type. Got a blood clot in my lung after surgery that caused just as many problems as the crash and surgery. Biggest problem was—as anyone who’s had surgery can attest to—in order for any orthopedic surgery to be successful you have to start PT within a couple days and do it every day. That made things interesting, but life could be worse.