"Oh Shit" moments...

On Brockley Way yesterday, pulled out of the New Cemetery and a van started reversing towards me as I went round it. This is a no-through road, so I figured he'd gone the wrong way and would see me as he was going dead slow and was a good 5 metres away from me.
I pulled around the side and stood over my bike, stationary but still clipped in on the right. It took a couple of seconds before I realised that he either hadn't seen me or was was just fucking mental and was going to run me over. Somehow managed to jump out the way as he came past me, and 'only' clipped his wing mirror with my wrist, smashing it off.
I thought he'd hit my back wheel but somehow he missed it, and my bike (first time with my new frame as well) was totally fine.
Turned out he'd just crashed into a car and was fleeing the scene, which involved reversing at 20 miles an hour down a residential street, thankfully 10 or so people saw it and got his details.

By far the most FUUUUUCKKK moment I've had and luckily no injuries, even my wrist is fine (I reckon it's the muscle from 15 years of bass playing).

15 years of bass playing.

Good euph

MASSIVE oh shit moment this morning. Feel like an idiot for this one.

Heading south on charing x road, just by traf square. Went to overtake a queue of traffic, including a massive construction lorry. As I pulled out (no room to pull back in), I realised another construction lorry was coming towards me in the lane I was riding in, very fast. Quickly realised that there was no room to squeeze in next to the moving traffic on my left as it's a narrow bit of road.

Had to SPRINT towards the oncoming construction truck so I could dive in left at the last moment into the only gap in my lane.

Massive fail on my part. No reason to rush there, bad timing, and would have been entirely responsible for my own demise, would have been a disgusting 'squashed between two HGVs' scenario.

Pissed me off too as I'm usually zero risk when it comes to big trucks. Take your eye off the ball for a moment.... glad now to have had that experience as a reminder.

Rode like a fool for the last 5 mins of my commute after that, as could only think about how close it was. Idiot.

Yikes! Glad you're ok, would have been a big penalty for letting your attention wander a bit.

Glad you're not a bonnet ornament! Good that you're feel you could have done it differently - happens to everyone occasionally I think.

I rode like a plum this morning too, a couple too many beers last night.

I think OH SHIT twice a day, once as I enter Dalston on my way in to work, and again when I enter Dalston on my way home.

I think OH SHIT twice a day, once as I enter Dalston on my way in to work, and again when I enter Dalston on my way home.

Just keep moving, seems to work for me! Dalston's not that bad if you're quick.

Heh, that's the problem, it's the jaywalkers, it's like playing Frogger or suttin

1st post...

1. Trying to get off my bike in front of a green grocer. My left foot got stuck in the strap, I then toppled over, knocking down a box of oranges in the process, which were rolling all over the place. As I was lying on my back on the street amidst the oranges, some guy was walking by looking down at me. He didn't even smile, laugh or say anything, just looked at me like "wtf are you doing?!"...
   
   

sorry. but this has just made me snort my peppermint tea out laughing at the whole scene.
i do hope you are alright.
i shouldn't even laugh. i stacked it at kentish town traffic lights over the weekend on my new ss to a nice round of applause from the white van man waiting behind me!

I sometimes lean against the back of buses with one hand stretched out, but this involves intense concentration to ensure that when the bus starts to move I am ready to quickly remove my hand and start pedalling. Every time I have visions of me fucking it up and falling over to an applause soundtrack from every witness. It still wouldn't be an oh shit moment though.

MASSIVE oh shit moment this morning. Feel like an idiot for this one.

Heading south on charing x road, just by traf square. Went to overtake a queue of traffic, including a massive construction lorry. As I pulled out (no room to pull back in), I realised another construction lorry was coming towards me in the lane I was riding in, very fast. Quickly realised that there was no room to squeeze in next to the moving traffic on my left as it's a narrow bit of road.

Had to SPRINT towards the oncoming construction truck so I could dive in left at the last moment into the only gap in my lane.

Massive fail on my part. No reason to rush there, bad timing, and would have been entirely responsible for my own demise, would have been a disgusting 'squashed between two HGVs' scenario.

Pissed me off too as I'm usually zero risk when it comes to big trucks. Take your eye off the ball for a moment.... glad now to have had that experience as a reminder.

Rode like a fool for the last 5 mins of my commute after that, as could only think about how close it was. Idiot.

Ah, the out-of-character moment-of-impatience thing. I did something like that once, I was stuck behind a bus for what seemed like forever, and when it all finally opened up I belted round the outside of it only to be confronted with the rear end of a static car waiting to turn right. Grabbed a fistful of brake in panic, endo-ed but stopped in time, just. Idiot.

I was normally always super cautious but now I'm so conscious of not getting into a situation where I can't see further ahead than I have space to stop easily in. I think with stuff like that, it gets banked as experience and protects you from making that mistake again. So it's all good.

On my way to work this morning on my new (2nd hand) bike.

Dinlow in a clio pulled out right in front of me, slammed on the brakes, pulling the back one first out of habit (something I seem to have picked up from MTBing), only the previous owner had the front brake on the left, and I'd (stupidly) not checked! Que me nearly going arse over tit onto their bonnet!

Doing a little skid/skip at a red I heard a sharp pop accompanied by a jolt from my rear wheel and immediately realised I'd gone right through my tire and burst the tube. I didn't even wobble but it was a bit of an oh shit moment as it was the first skid I'd done on that tire since yesterday, when I twice had to avoid insane drivers trying to kill me while moving at speed. I would have done more than wobble if it had gone then.

As I was lying on my back on the street amidst the oranges, some guy was walking by looking down at me.

I only wish my life were interesting enough to get to say stuff like this... :)

Riding to work this morning, about 40ft from a traffic island I heard a lorry coming up behind me. He got past - just - then had to swerve hard to get around the island. Not a nice experience. Then the light a few hundred feet up the road went red and I thought I'd catch up to him, and how stupid it was for him to take risks like that for no gain. But no, he went straight through it. Was one of those skip lorries.

This was at 4.50am or so in Tooting.

Skip wagons are the bane of my life, Matt.

I'm glad you're ok!

4:50am! ick, that is shit! ;-)

Which island/light combo down there? There are a few of them. None of them are very nice, but at the times I go through seem to be so stuffed with traffic that filtering is much quicker and safer.

Cheers Lucy, I'm reasonably glad to be alive. Although at 4.50am it's hard to muster up that much enthusiasm.

MrDrem, it was sorta here; http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=idlecombe+road&hl=en&ll=51.440368,-0.148444&spn=0.001284,0.002411&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=20.015978,39.506836&t=m&hnear=Idlecombe+Rd,+London+SW17+9TD,+United+Kingdom&z=19

Bought dark navy bart ape instead of black. facepalm

Some prick overtook about 10 metres before a junction and decided to cut across me and turn left into the junction, whilst I was rapidly approaching the side of his car. Had to slam on my front brake and lock my legs up to attempt to skid, which I've never actually done before. Luckily managed to stop dead but properly shat my pants. Had I not reacted as quickly, I would have hit a car due to it cutting across me for the second time this year grrrrr

Trying to ride on SPD pedals with plimsolls in the rain and realising I had no grip at all - slipped off with almost every push and dismounting became a real challenge not to stack.

Some prick overtook about 10 metres before a junction and decided to cut across me and turn left into the junction, whilst I was rapidly approaching the side of his car. Had to slam on my front brake and lock my legs up to attempt to skid, which I've never actually done before. Luckily managed to stop dead but properly shat my pants. Had I not reacted as quickly, I would have hit a car due to it cutting across me for the second time this year grrrrr

Similar thing happened to me the other day.
Pulled off from the lights ahead of a bus, it then promptly overtook me about 100 yards further and turned left in front of me without indicating.
I absolutely shit myself when I slammed on my front brake and the cable snapped, it seemed like everything went in slow motion and I just about managed to skid alongside the bus and got off the bike and sat there for about 10 minutes all shook up.
Need to change my gear ratio, skidding at the minute absolutely kills me.

1.Cycling to waterloo the other day, went south of the river at london bridge where we were met by heavy traffic due to roadworks. The 1999 Daewoo Matiz infront pulls away from being at a standstill and then slams their brakes on. I follow suit with the braking front, but my wheels lock, and due to a wet slippy road surface from recent rainfall, I slide in slow motion into this old chaps rear bumper, bending it in a good 6 inches and pulling a spectacular endo to rear window face plant.

Unfortunately, I had the company of my girlfriend that day. Who is quite new to the cycling malarky. She starts screaming and breaks down in tears and won't get back on her bike and stands in the middle of the road, eyes streaming.

Quick word with the shocked OAP passengers of the vehicle to reassure them I'm perfectly fine and some sweet talk with the missus and we were off again in time for the train. Bonza.

1. During a bit of a friendly sprint race on the velodrome with a good friend we are on the final lap putting the foot down. He's about a foot from my rear in the slipstream. We come out the corner and next thing I get a huge rear tyre blowout. Sounds like a gunshot, my friend shits his polkadots. Somehow we both stay in control and don't end up in a tangled mess of frame and limb on the back straight. Unfortunately no back up inner tubes that day so it was an early tea!