I have had a very busy weekend and apart from my little bagatelle about ancient bikes not really had time to sit and write. Yesterday, I spent all afternoon and much of the evening marshalling on a checkpoint for two audax rides. These are endurance rides, the long one was 200Km and the shorter 100Km, that's roughly 120 and 60 miles respectively. We were close to finishing when we heard from the ride organiser that there'd been an a serious accident about a mile or so from the end of the ride. One of our riders had been hit off his bike by a car and had to be airlifted to hospital where as far as I know he's still fighting for his life. I must have met this chap earlier on. I still feel sick about it, and for the young woman driver who hit him, it's going to affect her for some time to come.
Couple that with the news about Katie Leone and it sort of indicates that some days, life really sucks. I'll try and do Bike tomorrow, thanks for your patience.
Comments
Thank you,Angharad,
You have done more than enough and it has been a rough day ,nobody expects the impossible in such circumstances.
ALISON
Any scraps
that you throw us are much appreciated; you spoil us anyway. Yes, life does this to us sometimes, so it is understandable that you have been distracted from The Bike today.
Teri Ann
"Reach for the sun."
You do much more than enough Ang.
Reading your 'bagatelle' at the moment and no wonder you couldn't fit in a Bike episode with so much going on. I look forward to whatever and whenever you can post but your real life deserves to come first.
Rhona McCloud
News about Katie
and the bike accident do put life into perspective , If nothing else it makes you appreciate what you have , Hopefully the cyclist recovers and is soon back doing what they enjoy the most , As for Katie its a big loss to TG community here , She will be much missed ...
Like many others here i love reading Bike, For some years now its been a fixture of my evenings,Having said that we all know Angharad leads a very busy life , I for one am very thankful she manages to find time in the day to keep us all entertained with Cathys views on the mad world we live in , Sometimes though something happens and writing certainly has to take a backward step Cathy i'm sure would be the first to tell all of those who read about her life to wait until that nice lady and her cats can scribble a few more words for us all to enjoy...
Kirri
I love your stories and their
I love your stories and their author and I prefer the author to be ok instead of new chapter coming.
the
'young woman' should lose her licence at this point, the rider did not jump out in front of her, was not invisible and she was clearly not driving in a manner suitable for the conditions.
I can only hope that the riders injuries looked worse than they actually are and that they make a swift recovery. I once started a race to find a few seconds later the rider ahead of me laid in the middle of the road with no sign of life after a car pulled out on them. We really thought he was dead or at least seriously injured - he was back racing a couple of weeks later.
There was nothing you could have done Ang, every time we take two wheels onto the roads we are playing Russian Roulette with the stupids we allow to control the motorised boxes. Statistically we are still safer than a child in school, our time will come when it will.
Think nice thoughts and take care of yourself,
Mads
Madeline Anafrid Bell
Just got around to reading
Just got around to reading this, a day late. That bike accident - horrible! I do hope the rider pulls through and fully recovers. Things like that leave me a bit shaken, too. Take care.
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
It looks as if
the cyclist didn't make it.
Angharad
sheet
sorry to hear that
It's been confirmed
the rider died on Tuesday evening. Feel a bit sick now.
Angharad
Oh dear, I'm so sorry to hear
Oh dear, I'm so sorry to hear that. Being at the scene of a fatality really is a sickening experience. Even worse when you can envision yourself being the victim through no fault of your own.
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
and
The murderer will likely get a £250 fine and told not to use her phone while driving again. No justice in this country for the victims - unless they happen to be in another tin box. Causing death with a deadly weapon, whether intentional or not should still get a sizeable loss of liberty. It won't but of course we live in a civilised country.
Don't think too deeply on it Ang, it can't change things and can only make you maudlin.
Take care girl,
Mads (freshish after 4 hours fighting the elements in the Peaks!)
Madeline Anafrid Bell