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@moth
Spent the afternoon meandering west then started to meander back as night fell. I'm doing about 20mph on a narrow stretch of road when the bus that's just caught up behind me decides that he really needs to overtake me NOW despite the oncoming traffic, and so doesn't leave me much room. It's a brightly but inconsistently lit area and with the bus to the right and the high kerb to the left the road in front of me is in deep shadow. My light is dim enough to achieve some night adaptation on unlit country roads and isn't making much impression in this bright environment, so i don't notice the huge pothole until i'm almost on it.
As my front wheel hits the far rim of the hole, my handlebar snaps off. I'm not sure if it was luck or judgement that threw me onto the pavement and left the bike in the middle of the road. Luckily the bus was far enough past me that its rear wheel didn't get the bike, and the car behind stopped and waited while i pulled it out of the road. They kindly asked me if i needed help too, while the bus didn't even slow down.
It was the right hand half of the bars that snapped off just inside the stem clamp. Looking at the break, i think there might have been a fatigue crack that started the break, but it would have been hidden by the clamp.