As you all know, my cycling accident taught me a lot over the past year. One big thing I took away was the importance of bike safety and preparing for the unexpected.
I didn’t plan on crashing and knowing nothing about who I was, where I was or what I was doing. Most people don’t plan for emergencies when they’re training outside. And from the stories I’ve heard in the past year, accidents can happen whether we’re training for an Ironman or casually riding a bike on the sidewalk.
Thankfully I had my phone on my bike and the phone managed to make it out better than me. Somehow the person who found me was able to contact Richard (after 911) so he could meet my ambulance at the hospital. If my phone hadn’t been there I would have been alone in the hospital, completely unaware of my insurance, family info, health history and even my name (I forgot I was married and didn’t know my new last name).
The helmet I was wearing (a cheap 3-year-old Bell helmet) saved my brain. The impact caused a severe concussion (that still affects me to a small degree today) and I couldn’t imagine what could have happened if my head slammed against the ground without the helmet. Richard bought me a new Specialized helmet for my birthday which is when I decided I would eventually ride again.
Bike Safety Essentials
1. Wear a helmet. I can’t figure out why anyone would ride a bike without a helmet. Remember that a car can still run you over and that you can still fall, even if it’s just a leisurely ride.
2. Know the rules of the road for cycling or running outside. Enough said.
3. Let someone know where you’re going and when you plan on being back. I’ll text Richard a rough idea of my route so he always has an idea of where to look if anything ever went wrong.
4. Wear a Road ID. Road ID’s come in all sizes and colors and are super affordable so there’s really no excuse to not wear one. The Road ID will speak for you if you can’t speak for yourself.
We’re athletes. We take risks. We run before the sun rises and finish workouts after the sun sets. We pass through neighborhoods that would make our moms cringe. We get chased by dogs. We fall. We push our limits.
And we need to be prepared.
I have the Wrist ID Slim. It’s like the LIVESTRONG bands- but thinner and sexier. It is super lightweight, low-profile and comfortable. My engraved plate includes my name, birth year, Richard and my dad’s numbers, a little medical info and a quote I live by: You Only Have One Chance.
Road ID Giveaway
Want to win a Road ID of your own?
1. Simply leave a comment on this post with what mantra or quote you’d add to your Road ID.
2. Tweet about the giveaway (and leave a comment about it) for an extra entry.
Giveaway will close 11:59pm EST on Sunday, September 16th. I will contact the winner via email.
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I think mine would say DOn’t worry be happy
I would put “This is a privilege” because it’s so easy to forget, but so important to remember
Mine would say “Be who you are”.
I’ve been wanting to get one so badly.
Mine would say …
Find Your Peace.
Sarah M recently posted..words.
I was just looking at getting one of these!
Mine would say…
100% everyday
I’ve been wanting to get a roadID for a while. Mine would say “This is what I came for”.
I learned true value of bike helmets firsthand while riding rented bikes in Asheville with a friend. We ended up in the emergency room at Mission Hospital because she fell and broke her fall with her face and it was one of the scariest days of both of our lives. (I posted about it here – http://www.jumpalittlelighter.net/2011/12/reverbresound11-day-10.html)
I’ll never get on a bike without a helmet again…I still don’t know what we were thinking, riding around a new-to-us, HILLY town on rented bikes without them. It’s like you said – even leisurely rides can end up badly and we definitely learned this the hard way. I also now wear a road id on my left running shoe and carry my phone with me on most of my longer runs now.
Sara recently posted..scenes from my first ice bath
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