So it finally happened.
After years of close calls and near misses, I finally hit the deck. It was an early Friday morning at about 4:45 am of Jan 26 when the dreaded incident happened. I was on the 20th km mark of my scheduled 60-km bike ride when I suddenly got hit by a speeding motorcycle from behind. The incident took place along Ayala Avenue Ext right in front of the South Cemetery (of all places to have an accident). I don’t recall much of what exactly happened or how it all came about. I can’t even remember how I stood up or who helped me out. It seemed like I was just going through the motions but completely in a daze. After a short while, I found myself inside the Barangay Police Station giving a statement on the incident to the Barangay Captain together with the person who hit me.
The atmosphere was calm and cordial considering what had just transpired early on. I was bruised up quite a bit with minor scrapes and scratches on some parts of my body, a bad headache, a cracked helmet and a broken bike. I knew we had to go through all the formalities but in my mind, I just wanted to go home. After all was said and done, I had my ever reliable bodyguard/driver/sidekick Manong Abelardo pick me up so he can bring Renee (bike) and I home. It was only when I got settled into my couch that I began to truly comprehend the gravity of what just happened and the various scenarios of how it could have turned out. The “what ifs” started creeping in my mind... what if I got crippled, what if I can no longer run or walk, what if I died. At that moment, I began to feel the aches and pains in my body, neck and head after all the adrenalin started to dissipate. I came to the realization that this is my wake up call, that I simply got lucky and said a short prayer to God and the Angels who have been watching over me.
After years of close calls and near misses, I finally hit the deck. It was an early Friday morning at about 4:45 am of Jan 26 when the dreaded incident happened. I was on the 20th km mark of my scheduled 60-km bike ride when I suddenly got hit by a speeding motorcycle from behind. The incident took place along Ayala Avenue Ext right in front of the South Cemetery (of all places to have an accident). I don’t recall much of what exactly happened or how it all came about. I can’t even remember how I stood up or who helped me out. It seemed like I was just going through the motions but completely in a daze. After a short while, I found myself inside the Barangay Police Station giving a statement on the incident to the Barangay Captain together with the person who hit me.
The atmosphere was calm and cordial considering what had just transpired early on. I was bruised up quite a bit with minor scrapes and scratches on some parts of my body, a bad headache, a cracked helmet and a broken bike. I knew we had to go through all the formalities but in my mind, I just wanted to go home. After all was said and done, I had my ever reliable bodyguard/driver/sidekick Manong Abelardo pick me up so he can bring Renee (bike) and I home. It was only when I got settled into my couch that I began to truly comprehend the gravity of what just happened and the various scenarios of how it could have turned out. The “what ifs” started creeping in my mind... what if I got crippled, what if I can no longer run or walk, what if I died. At that moment, I began to feel the aches and pains in my body, neck and head after all the adrenalin started to dissipate. I came to the realization that this is my wake up call, that I simply got lucky and said a short prayer to God and the Angels who have been watching over me.
When you are riding on a bike on the streets, no matter how careful you may be, there is always a chance of being involved in a crash. The bicyclist will, in most cases, be at the most risk for serious injury and usually takes the brunt of the damage. Admittedly, I may be reckless and carefree at times but have always believed in SAFETY FIRST especially on the road.
There are 3 things I make sure I have with me when I bike.
1.The mandatory helmet which reduces one's risk of serious injury by as much as 85 percent. My helmet sustained a crack from the minor incident alone. I can only wonder how I would have fared had I not been wearing one.
2. Next is the indispensable cellphone. In this day and age, the cellphone comes in handy for making those S.O.S. calls or even simply documenting the incident.
Lastly, even when running, I never leave home without my
3. ROAD I.D. Since I like to run or bike alone, the benefit of wearing identification is that there is immediate information relayed to response teams whether you're conscious or out-cold be it your name, blood type or emergency contact information which can be very useful in emergency situations.
There are 3 things I make sure I have with me when I bike.
1.The mandatory helmet which reduces one's risk of serious injury by as much as 85 percent. My helmet sustained a crack from the minor incident alone. I can only wonder how I would have fared had I not been wearing one.
2. Next is the indispensable cellphone. In this day and age, the cellphone comes in handy for making those S.O.S. calls or even simply documenting the incident.
Lastly, even when running, I never leave home without my
3. ROAD I.D. Since I like to run or bike alone, the benefit of wearing identification is that there is immediate information relayed to response teams whether you're conscious or out-cold be it your name, blood type or emergency contact information which can be very useful in emergency situations.
They say what doesn’t break you makes you stronger. In this case, I’d settle for wiser. For now, I may just take it easy on the bike and concentrate on my running again.
Keep safe on the road everyone...
A public service reminder from Runningshield... 😊
A badly needed Tune-up
Recovery Bike
Recovery Run
