KABOOM!

One can bike commute for only so long before the inevitable happens- you go down. Whether its another car, another biker, or a lapse in attention that leads to the crash, it’s probably going to happen at some point or another. 

Today it happened to me. 

Heading down Custis Trail towards Key Bridge, passing the Marriott on my left. The trail is a reasonably quick downhill at that point, and when the crossing light shows the walking man, I usually just cruise through, assuming right of way:  

Othermanonbike had a different idea. He was trying to turn onto the same trail, coming from Key Bridge- a slow lefthand turn, and one he made without looking uphill. We collided really hard, hard enough for the crash to break a spoke, completely bend the wheel, and fuse his front fork with my front wheel. It looked something like this: 

When we collided we both flew into the road, but thankfully not into moving traffic. He was really slow in getting up, with a hurt shoulder. Helped him up, got the bikes off the road, and he needed to go sit inside- he was definitely shaken up. I’m going to have a bruised thigh and back, and this guy should turn into a big blue/green mess: 

Not sure whether or not it will be worth it to fix the bike. I only paid $150 for it, but I don’t think it’s going to roll very well at this point: 

After about 10 minutes he was well enough to walk his bike home, and I had to call the Sheri Support Crew. 

Farewell Ross bike, ye served me well.