Pass With Care
Posted by the girls on Monday, March 28, 2011
Today was a day that we've been looking forward to for a long time. We were planning to bike to St. George Island from Tallahassee (about 85 miles) and spend a few days at a beach house and then bike back. Unfortunately, we are not writing this blog entry from St. George...
We woke up early as planned and were on the road by 8:15 am. We hoped to reach St. George by 4 or 5 pm (or at least before the sun set). We took several short breaks to stretch and a little bit longer break near Sopchoppy. At the gas station in Sopchoppy, we happened upon some other bicycle tourists: Gary and Carol Speary. They are an energetic couple married for 43 years who have already done some extensive touring. You can read more about their bike journeys here. They were on a shorter tour around Florida and headed in the same direction we were. They took off before us, but had a flat a few miles down the road. We passed them up once we knew that everything was okay (even though they got ANOTHER flat after that!).
About 50 miles into our ride, we finally saw the Gulf of Mexico and were getting so excited for the beach. The wind was a bit more favorable when we turned, but still strong. For that reason, we were following one another quite closely to draft and be as efficient as possible. When we turned, our bike ended and left us only with a few inches of "safe" riding area. Emily was leading the way when a car came speeding toward her. Two cars going in the opposite direction were passing some others. The second car passing did not see us and came dangerously close. Fearing for her safety, Emily quickly squeezed her brakes. Rebekah was following close behind, but was able to brake just in time to avoid hitting Emily. Michelle had no chance. By the time she was able to react, her bike had already collided into Rebekah's. Luckily, Rebekah was almost at a stop and didn't fall off. Michelle, however, added to her injury collection with road rash on both knees. Both girls got off of the road as quickly as possible. Rebekah immediately noticed that her back tire was not rotating. The rear fender had bent upwards into the tire preventing it from moving. After fixing the fender, it became apparent that there was damage to the wheel. It was wobbly and not ride-able.
At this point, we should mention that the driver who caused this pile-up pulled over to check on us. Also, a highway patrol man who happened to be in the area joined the scene. He turned on his lovely red & blue lights to direct traffic around us and protect us from further harm.
The next folks to arrive on the scene, were Gary and Carol! We were elated to have fellow (experienced) cyclists to help us. Gary inspected the back wheel and tried his best to true it. Even his expertise was not quite enough to fix the troubled wheel. Wishing us well, Gary and Carol continued on to their destination. The patrolman also left us when we assured him that we were okay and didn't need any further assistance.
We knew that we needed to get to a bike shop to have the wheel looked at. We weren't getting any signal to use the internet on our phone, so we sought help from the friendly neighbors. When the pile-up first happened, the neighbors, Cheri & Mark Swan, came running out to see if we needed help. We knew they would be welcoming. Cheri offered us the use of her internet and phone book. The only bike shops, however, were in Tallahassee and Panama City. There was no way we would be able to bike to either place, so we had to make the tough decision of ending our ride early. Instead of spending time at St. George, we knew it was more important to get Rebekah's bike (and broken pannier) in working order before the big set-off date only one week away. We were rescued by Emily's mother who was able to drive us back to Tallahassee.
Although this incident seems like a pretty horrible way to wrap up our pre-trip training, it was a great learning experience. We are so grateful for all of the wonderful people who helped us out and all of the others who slowed down and offered even further assistance. We also are thankful that nothing worse happened: no broken bones, no MAJOR damage, etc. It was better to have this happen now, closer to home, than in the middle-of-nowhere-Kansas. Although we could have a similar situation in the future, we feel better prepared.
So, to all the drivers, bikers, and other road users, remember to PASS WITH CARE!!
f
We woke up early as planned and were on the road by 8:15 am. We hoped to reach St. George by 4 or 5 pm (or at least before the sun set). We took several short breaks to stretch and a little bit longer break near Sopchoppy. At the gas station in Sopchoppy, we happened upon some other bicycle tourists: Gary and Carol Speary. They are an energetic couple married for 43 years who have already done some extensive touring. You can read more about their bike journeys here. They were on a shorter tour around Florida and headed in the same direction we were. They took off before us, but had a flat a few miles down the road. We passed them up once we knew that everything was okay (even though they got ANOTHER flat after that!).
About 50 miles into our ride, we finally saw the Gulf of Mexico and were getting so excited for the beach. The wind was a bit more favorable when we turned, but still strong. For that reason, we were following one another quite closely to draft and be as efficient as possible. When we turned, our bike ended and left us only with a few inches of "safe" riding area. Emily was leading the way when a car came speeding toward her. Two cars going in the opposite direction were passing some others. The second car passing did not see us and came dangerously close. Fearing for her safety, Emily quickly squeezed her brakes. Rebekah was following close behind, but was able to brake just in time to avoid hitting Emily. Michelle had no chance. By the time she was able to react, her bike had already collided into Rebekah's. Luckily, Rebekah was almost at a stop and didn't fall off. Michelle, however, added to her injury collection with road rash on both knees. Both girls got off of the road as quickly as possible. Rebekah immediately noticed that her back tire was not rotating. The rear fender had bent upwards into the tire preventing it from moving. After fixing the fender, it became apparent that there was damage to the wheel. It was wobbly and not ride-able.
At this point, we should mention that the driver who caused this pile-up pulled over to check on us. Also, a highway patrol man who happened to be in the area joined the scene. He turned on his lovely red & blue lights to direct traffic around us and protect us from further harm.
The next folks to arrive on the scene, were Gary and Carol! We were elated to have fellow (experienced) cyclists to help us. Gary inspected the back wheel and tried his best to true it. Even his expertise was not quite enough to fix the troubled wheel. Wishing us well, Gary and Carol continued on to their destination. The patrolman also left us when we assured him that we were okay and didn't need any further assistance.
We knew that we needed to get to a bike shop to have the wheel looked at. We weren't getting any signal to use the internet on our phone, so we sought help from the friendly neighbors. When the pile-up first happened, the neighbors, Cheri & Mark Swan, came running out to see if we needed help. We knew they would be welcoming. Cheri offered us the use of her internet and phone book. The only bike shops, however, were in Tallahassee and Panama City. There was no way we would be able to bike to either place, so we had to make the tough decision of ending our ride early. Instead of spending time at St. George, we knew it was more important to get Rebekah's bike (and broken pannier) in working order before the big set-off date only one week away. We were rescued by Emily's mother who was able to drive us back to Tallahassee.
Although this incident seems like a pretty horrible way to wrap up our pre-trip training, it was a great learning experience. We are so grateful for all of the wonderful people who helped us out and all of the others who slowed down and offered even further assistance. We also are thankful that nothing worse happened: no broken bones, no MAJOR damage, etc. It was better to have this happen now, closer to home, than in the middle-of-nowhere-Kansas. Although we could have a similar situation in the future, we feel better prepared.
So, to all the drivers, bikers, and other road users, remember to PASS WITH CARE!!
f
