The extra fun was when the driver, convinced she had done nothing wrong, followed me off the road and tried to run me down so she could take a picture of my license plate.
There was no damage to her car, no damage to the bike and therefore the police were not amused by the call. Afterwards, and after the requisite visit to the police station to exchange information but to not file a report because there was no damage done, it was time to get BACK on the same road where i had gotten hit and drive home.
Um? Really? I just got hit by a dumb cager on my first real trip on real roads and now i have to ride home IN THE DARK on the same road where i got hit while my heart is pounding out of my chest and i'm a nervous nellie? Really?
Yes, really. And i did it. I got right back on the bike and rode home.
I had major nightmares for 2 days and anxiety for a week or so. My heart still pounds a little bit when i think about how bad things COULD have been.
So here are some of the lessons i took away from the day.
- keep your "head on a swivel"--always looking at what's around.
- don't get too comfortable or too confident. Confidence is great, but don't let it control you.
- ride with friends. Having my riding mentor nearby when this all went down is what kept me from really getting upset or or completely paralized by the fear.
- Wear your gear-- i was fully geared up-- chaps, armored jacket, gloves, and helmet. Had i gone down i might have had a chance at survival. Without my gear? I don't know.
AND I'll keep wearing all of my gear :)