My Bicycle Diaries - Day Seven

No bike today. I can't get everywhere I need to go on my bike. I was stopped by my landlord yesterday on the way to work. He rides to work in Center City all the time. He gave a me a list of equipment that I should get if I wanted to survive in the city. How come this free bike is costing me so much? ;-)

I had lunch with a Cedar Park neighbor and fellow Center City building tenant, Bill. He and I were trading bicycle war stories. I wasn't actually comforted by his belief that one should prepare for their first accident, because it was bound to happen.

The last time I owned a bike that I rode regularly was in the late eighties, so it's been more than sixteen years. I used to ride with my friend Katrine, or one of several assorted friends. My friend Jeff and I rode down to the beach a couple of times from Irvine just for the fun of it. Well, actually Jeff was training to ride across China in 1986.

One reason I stopped riding was because I got taken out by a Winnebago on PCH while riding through Laguna Beach. I think we were heading to the Sawdust Festival. I got knocked by the passenger side mirror of the Winnebago. I ended up landing on the trunk of a sedan, and my bike was never the same.

The thought that I'm going to get hit again isn't comforting. I told this to Leland and he doesn't agree that someone should expect to get into an accident. Billy also rides from my neighborhood, so it’s interesting to hear his perspective – we also agree that having near death experiences while exercising causes one to react differently than if they were in a zen state. I’m definitely going to try and keep the testosterone down and the eyes open.