It would have been clever to crash into the lady on the bike to my right, but as you've learned over the past posts, I'm not clever. No, when I crash into someone, I choose about the direct opposite. I was jamming along today at lunchtime thinking all sorts of good thoughts about the race this weekend. We've got all sorts of secret plans in place which I factor into in a worker bee kind of way. If this worker bee has the legs, we will win. Anyway, I take a route through a parking lot dodging cars and carts and pedestrians and whatnot because the bike trail that goes behind the parking lot is always littered with glass. Instead of cutting my tires or getting a flat, I'd rather end up on someones windshield I guess. Again, I'm not the cleverest fellow around. So I spy myself a mom on a phone backing up the mini van. I also spy a Mejicano on a bicycle coming in the opposite direction. I can put two and two together while riding so I knew that the mini van lady would see Mr. Mejicano, apply the brakes, let him scoot by, and with the delay, I'd get by too whether she knew I was there or not. All went according to how my synapses had envisioned. All except for the fact that the Mejicano never saw me. He too was focused on the van. When I finally came into focus, it was too late. I had already started my desperate move to the right and when he looked up, he kind of froze. I had anticipated him seeing me and that he would swerved to his right and avoid the collision. When he didn't, I dove left. Right when he dove right. End of story. Two hombres in two wheel slides on a collision course. Bammm! He went down, being a slight fellow and my bike took the brunt of the damage being less sturdy than the Schwinn Varsity he was riding. I'm sure I'm bruised, which will show up the next two days, but no worse for wear. Had to straighten out the handlebars and adjust the brakes. A couple of wobbles in the wheels now, but nothing too bad. The wheels aren't that great anyway. The impactee is fine as well. In my broken Spanish and his broken English, we were able to determine that we were both okay. I helped him get his chain back on and I apologized and he did to. With that, we were on our way again. Again, would have much preferred to not have crashed, but if I had to, would have preferred the lady above. See you this weekend. Bring your A game.

Johnny GoFast