Oooff!

I cycled to and from work again today, and I had my first accident. I'm OK, but the bike is messed up.

I was on my way home this afternoon and was still in the Loop when an a**hole of a cab driver caused my accident. I was in the bike lane approaching an intersection. Ahead and to my right was cab #1, dropping off a fare. I was watching this cab closely to see if he would pull away from the curb and into my bike lane. No, he was going to turn right. Fine. But cab #2 on my left caught me by surprise as it cut in front of me so he could turn right, too. He left me about 3-4 feet to come to a dead stop. Not enough.

I braked hard, but could see that inevitably I was going to end up in a collision. I screamed loud. I screamed like a little girl, wailing and piercingly high. I hit the bumper of cab #1 head on, flipped over the handle bars, and ended up on the trunk of cab #1. I pushed myself off the cab, then I cursed loudly, in very ungirl-like words. I think my exact words were "God damn motherfu**er!!" Or something equally coarse and nasty.

I was shaking. My right elbow hurt. The index finger on my left hand was jammed. Pedestrians were asking me if I was alright. Both cab drivers asked if I was alright. I told them I thought I was OK. I was more worried about my bike.

As I got on the bike and headed on up Canal Street, I could tell it was not right. It felt like something was wrong with the front. It wasn't until I was about 5 miles along my ride that I realized my front brake was stuck. And it wasn't until I was completely home, 9 miles later, that I really looked at the front of my bike. The front fork is ruined. It is completely pushed in. No wonder my front tire felt funny. No wonder I had to have the front tire pointed absolutely straight ahead as I took off from a complete stop; if I didn't, the tire would rub against the pedals.

The bike is already in the shop. In total, the damages will be just over $100. In currency, that is. Yes, I will continue to ride. But not next week, since it will take that long to get a new fork and have it installed.

I also have a swollen lump over my right knee. Great. My already bad right knee now has a bruise.

As I rode home I was angry, angry, angry.

Please, if you drive a car at all, watch for cyclists. I'm a good cyclist. I don't do stupid shit like weave in and out of traffic or dash in front of drivers. So, why ignore me? Why treat me like a piece of trash blowing across the road?

F***ing drivers!