Life is running its course...: Stayed conscious this time!

Ok, it happened again. I had another bike accident yesterday. I am so happy this time because I stayed conscious!! Seems like a great accomplishment. I was actually quite worried at the time but everything is alright. No broken bones, little knee and bike damage, and a theory of why it happened.

The Details:
Yesterday was another UVic Triathlon Club ride. Left UVic at 2pm. There were six of us riding. Which was nice since we could all pair up. Headed to the observatory to see the spectacular view that was up there. Just great. It was my second time getting up there. Seemed a lot easier this time. Then after that lil' hill climb we went into Saanichton area. The farther away from the city I noticed that the vehicles on the road grow exponentially. Wow, some of them are as big as a house. They are huge!

We soon got onto the lockside trail and this is when things got interesting. So two riders infront of me and two behind. Bronwyn's and my handlebars caught each other and before we knew it we were both on the ground and sliding along. I could feel my bare legs scraping against the ground, along with my face. I thought for a moment that my nose was bleeding but noticed it was just mucus from riding all day. Then suddenly there are two more crashes and I noticed that the two riders behind us were also crashing. We were all going around 20-25kph. Hard to stop when you ride so close. Clean up on Isle 3!

I yelled out, "Is anyone hurt?" Replies of No come back from three stunned voices. For all of us this was the biggest crash we had been involved in with other cyclists. I slowly started to push myself up and lift up the bikes that were at this point on top of me and Bronwyn. I am so thankful that is happened where it did. Although that trail is not the softest it was a lot softer then ashfault and away from cars. My knees got scrapped up a bit, only part of my body that is really in a lot of pain. Bronwyn had some significant pain in her left arm and shoulder. I hope it is nothing serious. The only major damage happened to her bike also. The right side shifter and brake lever had broken a bunch and is going to need to go in to get fixed. Yay Fort Street Cycles. We also had to do some road side repairs to fix the alignment of the handlebars. When the wheel is pointing straight and the handlebars are twisted 45 degrees to the left, it can be really hard to ride.

All in all it could have been a lot worse for everyone. We both noticed that we were riding too close to each other. Something to keep in mind for next time. Give space!

Now I said I have a theory why this happened. So last year just before the accident in April I had gone down to the Student Transition Centre in the SUB, I was chatting with everyone there and Sara told me to ride safely because I had told her how fast I was going on McKenzie(60kph). Well yesterday just before the group ride I again visited the office and said high to everyone there and Sara again told me to ride safely on the ride. Now either Sara or the office is a curse for me and biking afterward but something is up! Here are some photos.

Face, looks like one of Begum's cats scratched me. Nice kitty...