I’d driven Jason’s car back to Dan’s for a brake job two days earlier. It had made some of the worst noises I’d ever heard coming from the place where the disc’s were supposed to stop the car. It had made me nervous and so I’d tried to find the route that would require the least amount of stopping and had used the gears effectively to slow the car and avoid braking. I was sure they were shot when I’d rolled into Dan’s drive, but when he called to say it was ready to pick up, he’d said they weren’t that bad...just noisy. He also said he had some watermelon waiting since he knew I’d be riding out to pick it up.
It had been some time since I’d done any long riding and since I had two hours before dark, decided I’d use every minute riding. The humidity was still high and there was thunder in the distance, but I was determined to ride. I’d gotten about 15 minutes away when the first drops began to pelt me, but they never really got that hard and the cool water made the ride more pleasant.
I couldn’t help think of John losing control of his bike on his last ride though, and rode with caution on the slippery pavement. I was nearly to Dan’s, having ridden over 2 hours already and riding along Woodybrook Road in Chardon when I saw an emergency vehicle blocking the road ahead. I rode up to the officer and asked if I could get through. He said no, that there was a bad accident at the foot of the hill and I’d have to ride back and go through downtown Chardon.
“I’m five minutes from my destination and what you’re describing will take thirty and it will be dark by then and I don’t have lights on the bike,” I said.
“Well...I suppose if you walk the bike on the lawns you could make it through,” he said.
I thanked him and proceeded down the hill. I really didn’t want to go by the scene, but I really was out of choices. Riding on the narrow stretch of Wilson Mills between downtown Chardon and Dan’s place in the dark and with no sidewalks would be an invitation to another emergency call for this crew...which clearly had its hands full. There was a car upside down on the grass just off the road and a second in the middle of the street with extensive damage to its front end. Someone was being loaded on a stretcher into the back of an emergency vehicle parked at the bottom. Though I don’t know, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the accident had been the result of the very slick, wet road I’d just been riding on. It was a tar and chip finish, which tends to have very slick spots when wet. I’d been hydroplaning myself more than once during the ride.
It was a quick and painful reminder of how fleeting life is. The boy standing dazed outside the wrecked car looked to be a high school kid, probably on his way to the Friday night game. His life, most certainly, had just changed forever. I crossed myself, thanked God that John had not been hurt more seriously on his bike last week, and prayed for those who had been involved. The remainder of the ride was a sobering one.
Bike Duration: Two hours and 10 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1850.
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