Well as they say, 'all good things must come to an end' and for me today, it did... well sort of..
The locals here in the Picos de Europa are used to driving on empty roads. Traffic coming the opposite direction is in the main, a rarity.
Add a few hindred UK registered motorcycles plus a few hundred Spanish Vintage bikes plus the odd German and Dutch bikers and you have a recepie for trouble.
There is a road that runs south from Cangas de Onis into the heart of the Picos. It is very twisty and there are literally dozens of blind corners.[1]
Well today, I was heading north towards Cangas when I came a cropper. A car came round a blind corner on my side of the road. It was a choice between hitting the car or a solid wall or getting through a small gap. I almost made it. Bit a pannier on my bike got ripped off in the collision.
The other driver didn't stop. I later found out that aroud 20%-40% of drivers in this are are not insured. How true this is I don't know but I do know that I have a bill close to $1000 to find (or invoke my insurance) to repair the damage.
Yes it sucks.. Big time, mega time.
Other than that little incident, the trip has been perfect. close on 900Km travelled since I arrived in Spain,
sigh, sigh, sigh
Oh well, at least the weather has been perfect. (small mercies I know).
Travelling back to Blighty tomorrow night from Santander. If there are any othe BC readers on the ship then I'll be in the bar drinking some wine once the ship sails.
[1] I was lucky that it was a car. If it was a tractor trailor unit then I would not be alive to tell the story. Those [redacted] just don't stop for anything and if the road is not wide enough then tough.
Smantha
Comments
Glad you are OK(ish).
Glad you are OK(ish).
Hugs, Peace and Love tmf
So sorry.
We get used to so called civilization and are not prepared when those we encounter act outside those parameters. I am happy that you were not hurt.
Gwen
Thanks Gwen
and the others.
Yes I'm fine. not a scratch. More can be said for the pannier. it is a write off along with the mounting brackets and numberplate.
More than one fellow biker has said 'this would be the perfect place to ride if it wasn't for the locals'.
Sigh. Sigh and another Sigh.
Back on the ferry to Blighty tomorow night one more mountain pass permitting.
my other gripe is that all the local eateries don't start serving until 21:00. I've yet to find a Tapas bar locally. There is no way I'm going to wait until then to eat.
and this is a tourist town....
Go figure
When you say pannier, I see Lolita(s)!
That is the first time I have ever seen the word pannier used except on websites selling Lolita Clothing.
Well, at least your okay, but they say "whenever a pannier is destroyed a Lolita cries".
Narrow squeak
So, so glad that you are reporting this, and not just disappearing off radar right now. Got to be extra awake on a bike. Yeah have seen the wrong view of an oncoming. Sup a glass for me on the boat - cheers, I raise my camomile to the screen.
Teri Ann
"Reach for the sun."
as long as you are not hurt!
I have a friend who works for the local county sheriff offices as a deputy. He told me that they actually recommend now that if you are on the road on any mode of transportation have a GoPro oh the Dash of your car, or mounted to the control bar of a motorcycle or bicycle. The reason he gave is they can record for hours on end on a single charge, and can survive some very nasty wrecks. and that way if you get clipped by a another vehicle you have 1 irremovable proof of what happened, video evidence, and with said evidence they can most of the time track a hit and run driver down, both for insurance purposes and also for the crime that they committed. Also it helps with the he said she said arguments that always break out when 2 vehicles collide and one of them lies. cant argue with video evidence easily.
"Cortana is watching you!"
Cortana is watching who exactly?
Ok, I'm joking. You are correct in what you say about using a GoPro. Sadly the places you can mount one on a bike like mine is close to zero. So I'd end up with it on the top of my helmet.
I wouldn't last long there as I'm already well over 6ft 4in with boots (motorcycle ones not the kinky type!!!!!) and helmet on.
It is something to conside for the future.
And as I'm now totally Microsoft free Cortana would not be anywhere on my horizon. Even Siri is taking a very long and deep sleep. So deep that I don't have any idea about how to wake her up not that I would want to. :) :)
Samantha
PS
This was the first accident I've had on a bike since November 1971. I guess my number was up and I hope that is it for a few more years.
Next one in another 45 years
I rode a motorbike to work for six months back in the 80s. Convinced me that I am not going to do that again until I get my own Iron Heart suit. And this was on city streets with signals and everything!
Glad you are okay.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.