Meth: a Ticking Timebomb Gone Viral

How to Avoid Becoming Roadkill...A Cyclists Guide

I exercise every day. My goal is better health and fitness and is the cornerstone of my recovery.

Cycling is the mainstay, along with weights to complement the cardio. I don't particularly enjoy those first few sets in my gym, but once I get through that, with some music playing, I knuckle down and push as hard as I can.

On the bike, it's different...no music because I need to listen for the ever-present dangers that are all around me. I'm am the smallest kid on the playground, but far from the weakest. Many who share the road with me, don't seem to care, or simply don't pay enough attention when cyclists are about.

Yesterday, as I approached an intersection, a car pulled out onto the road in front of me. I expect this to happen at every intersection, and so, I am half-prepared when it does. I screamed, more in fear than anger. The lady caught sight of me and hit the brakes...luckily for me before I became roadkill. I received the wave of acknowledgement...an unsaid sorry, before I continued down the road, shaking my head in amazement (that once again, I survived).

It doesn't happen often, but often enough that I cannot daydream for one second whilst I'm out there on the bike. I have a flashing red tail light, a front strobe light...both are on, regardless if it is day or night, and a helmet that is the only thing between my head and the road.

Today is Sunday, the roads are quiet, and it is usually a pleasant day for me to go out on my bike and have a relaxing ride...how wrong was I? I get into a groove and focus on my breathing when going uphill. I heard a car approaching from behind. That is one area I have little control over and in my mind, poses the least danger to me as a cyclist. As the car passed by, the passenger screamed out of his open window, and because I wasn't expecting that to happen, it scared the crap out of me. The car then continued on its merry way, disappeared over the hill, and to the person who thought it would be funny to scare the lone cyclist, I was forgotten.

The person who did this was so dumb. I realised this as I rode past our local 7/11 and spotted the car that had, only a few minutes earlier, been so brave. I confronted the occupants, a young couple who should know better. The passenger was a guy around twenty, and I told them both my thoughts on the prank...pointing out that they have a young child in the back seat, and one day another idiot might do the same or worse to their child.

At that point, I realised all my anger was not going bring about any change in curbing future actions by this bloke. So, I calmed myself, changed my aggressive demeanour to a less confrontational one and became assertive instead. I said, "Please, don't do that again." We shook hands, and I rode off, leaving him to contemplate his actions with his girlfriend.

I am sure that if I had remained aggressive, it wouldn't have had the same impact, but in the end, all that counts is that I live to ride another day.