Two in two weeks...

[wrestleantares]

I have not had a close call in years, and the last two weeks I've had 2.

 

The first one is under the title here:

 

Good thing I'm P-Sychic

 

Now what happened this time. I was riding on a back road called Abingdon Road in Lenoir, NC. Its not a mountain road, but it has a short twisty section.

 

Anyway, I'm riding and coming around the turn I'm entering is a car in my lane. Not over the line a little - IN MY LANE. He was completely out of control and was going to crash no matter what he did. The question was, would he take me out as well...

 

He did - unknowingly - probably the best thing in the world for me. He slammed on his brakes when he saw me. It was an old car w/o ABS so he lost steering control and went off the road to his left. That loss of steering control probably saved my life as it gave me a hole to my left. I dove into that curve deep. SCARY deep. I had to cross the centerline to get around this guy that was crossing my lane and flying off the side.

 

I'd like to think that my mind automatically measured and realized no other car was coming, but realistically if another car had been following I probably would have the same reaction and would have turned right into a headon collision.

 

BUT - the Lord was with me and no other traffic was oncoming.

 

The kid was not hurt though he went off about a ten foot embankment and rolled the car. I did manage to pry the seat of my bike out of my ass, but I was shaking from the adrenaline rush for several minutes.

[Shawnee Bill]

Good to hear that you made it through this ok.

 

I have been on the other side of incidents like this, that is, I have followed cars taking curves entirely in the left lane, I usually drop way back so as to not get caught in the fallout if they meet someone coming the other direction.

I always wonder how I would react meeting one of these clowns completely in my lane in the middle of a corner. I like to think I would see far enough ahead but I'm not sure I would.

[wrestleantares]

He initially popped out of a blind curve into my view so there was no seeing far enough ahead initially. I am lucky he was too hot to continue his turning action. I would have been able to slough off some speed, but there would have been a collision.

 

I thought about it a long time afterwards, and could not come up with anything to do differently.

[Shawnee Bill]

I thought about it a long time afterwards, and could not come up with anything to do differently.

This is what concerns me, what you did is the only option I can think off, I like to have some kind of plan in my head for unexpected events, then hopefully it is not 100% luck as to the final outcome.

 

Not that I would necessarily execute my plan perfectly when the situation arrives but I feel my chances of survival are better with a plan in my head rather than just whatever knee-jerk reaction I have at the time.

[Gleno]

BUT - the Lord was with me and no other traffic was oncoming.

 

 

Dood....what day did this happen?? I saw on the news that the Lord was to be in Vegas this week (at The Mirage I think). Just curious if he had a show there 1st???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soooo...glad you weren't kilt...or worse.

[AdventurePoser]

Wow...glad you are ok!

 

When I ride I'm continually thinking, "What will I do if XXX happens?" Still, being prepared for the worst is no guarantee that we'll make the right decisions....sometimes it's just blind luck that allows us to survive.

 

cheers,

Steve in So Cal

[wrestleantares]

As the old saying goes:

 

Luck favors the prepared.

 

While there was a good deal of luck:

 

- Car slamming on brakes and unable to make curve

- No one else coming around the curve

 

There was also preparation:

 

- BRC - years ago

- ERC - a couple of times since

- Still practice skills (avoidance, braking, etc.) regularly