The first mile of the route would take us through a couple of mini roundabouts. I lead 12 riders safely across the first and at the second we were turning right. A car was approaching from the right but I had time to comfortably enter the roundabout before it arrived. I was aware that there was also a car approaching from my left, but I had priority, turned and exited the roundabout the car now behind me.
The first I was aware of trouble was the crunch of breaking carbon fibre. I can't remember hitting the windscreen of the car, but I do have a distinct memory of flying through the air with time to think "this is going to hurt!" I had no idea where I was headed and my airborne adventure could very well have ended under the wheels of an oncoming car. As it happened I crashed to ground some way up the road in shock and completely winded.
As I lay on the cold tarmac I could see the car which had hit me with its windscreen completely caved in and smashed. Two of my riding partners reached me first, but with the air knocked out of my lungs I was initially unable to speak. The driver of the car got out and I heard him ask "Is he alive?"
I was alive and although my right hand side hurt pretty bad, I wiggled my toes and fingers, completed a personal assessment and started to realise I had been extremely lucky. Of course once you are laying in the middle of the road after being launched into orbit by a car you are on a one way ticket to A&E. However after a very brief ambulance ride, and a miraculously short wait for a full examination I was home in time for an extremely uncomfortable night in my own bed.
Everyone of the riders behind me who I have spoken too about what they witnessed have all mentioned the noise. The loud 'bang' as I was fired into the air!
Unfortunately the bike didn't escape so fortunately as myself. On only its second outing and with only 60 miles under its belt the Merida Scultura met its end. The crunch of carbon I remembered had been the rear wheel disintegrating. The handlebars are completely mangled after presumably being trapped under the car and dragged along the road.
As my wife frequently reminds me, she has now had a fair few calls from the A&E departments of various different hospitals. The roads are dangerous places for cyclists, especially at night. Even festooned with lights you are vulnerable. The best thing you can do is stay away from busy or dangerous sections of road, so from now on I'll be sticking to the usual route out of town each week.
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