Danger Zone

As if I could forget how dangerous biking is, I constantly have people telling me to "be careful". I love that expression because it implies that the person would otherwise be reckless-but I appreciate the good intentions behind the saying. For all of you out there that are worried about me being careful... fear not. I have seen, heard, and experienced enough bad things on a bike to not take it for granted how easy it is to get seriously hurt. There is a huge misconception that if you are an experienced biker that it becomes less dangerous... but in some cases it is actually the opposite. Many experienced bikers are more comfortable on the road, take more risks, and will ride in less safe places. For any people out there that do not know anyone that has been hit while biking or gotten into a biking accident... here is a glimpse of two people in my life that have been injured in the last few months.

These first two pictures are from my cousin Mitch who recked on his fixed gear. He broke the hell out of his collar bone, busted open his chin, scraped up his back, and had bruises everywhere.

The bruises on his head are from his helmet, which saved his life. (Yes, he is a little drugged up on pain killers in these pictures). Now the next two pictures are from my friend Niall that lives up in D.C. He was run off the road by a car that cut him off and almost ran over him. He said that he was pretty cut up but the worst was that he broke his collarbone in THREE places.
Check out the sweet plate and screws that he earned... and don't worry... that isn't a loose screw in there- its actually holding some bone together.
I don't want to scare anyone away from biking- only give people a healthy respect for what can happen. I have yet to have a serious fall and I hope to keep it that way, but I will continue to wear my helmet and stay ready for anything.