Hit and run

A little while ago I noted an article in the local media around here that claimed there had been 441 hit and run assaults on the Gold Coast in the space of 12 months. Of course, what the article didn't state was that this probably means there were another 882 that just went unreported. So I suppose it was inevitable that my turn to be on the received end would come sooner or later, and three days ago it actually happened. I was riding my bike to work along Waterways Drive in Main Beach, and someone in a truck decided to drive into me. Granted, this is not the first time I've been hit by a car, in fact, it's happened seven times before (six on the Gold Coast), but it was the first time I've not actually been able to keep the bike upright and keep riding.

Unfortunately, the speed at which this guy drove off and the fact that I was too busy watching the road during the couple of seconds in which I almost pulled of the miracle save meant that I didn't get a good look at the truck, and certainly didn't see the number plate. This isn't really a major issue, however, as the largely ceremonial duties of the Queensland police don't extend as far as actually investigating cyclists' complaints or (God forbid) prosecuting where appropriate. I was far more annoyed about the fact that I was going to have to spend a long weekend (which incidentally had near perfect cycling weather) stuck inside without much to do.

The irony of all this is that I had taken The Blue Flame to a shop for repairs as the steering had been playing up (it's actually the forks that are busted... again), and I figured I should do something about it before I crash. Instead, I was riding The Blonde Assassin and I crashed anyway. Still, at least there were no serious injuries, and there won't be any new scars as all I managed to do is open up a couple of old ones. I should be back on the bike tomorrow, and hopefully I can look at doing some long rides by next weekend. In fact, I managed to get up from the crash, ride the last few kilometres to work and do a full day there.

The saddest part about all this is that none of it surprises me.