I was out running in the wee mornig hours on Friday and decided to snap a pic of this sculpture at sunrise.
It's a bronze sculpture that sits along a popular trail near the bike racks for a a botanical garden attraction.
It "shades" a bench and one of those public bicycle repair stations.
It's titled "Cycologist" and actually makes me think of a multiple bicycle crash... in a tree?
So yes, I am able to run again and have been reminding my body of that for the last month or so. The physical therapy, including the dry needling, seems to have helped. I don't exactly feel 17 again, but I'll take what I can get.
Speaking of bicycles and crashes, Magnum and I were out walking around yesterday when we came across a fresh accident between a bicyclist and a (I think) pickup truck.
It happened on the other side of a busy road we were walking along. I looked over and saw a laid down road bike with its front wheel looking rather bent and possibly detatched? That's when I noticed the guy on the ground, the car with its hazard likes blinking and a pickup truck with its hood opened.
From my astute observations, I surmise that the pickup truck was going south and turned left to enter an apartment complex and hit the bicyclist going north in the bike lane. Probably a bystander then pulled their car into the apartment entance to block other traffic from the injured bicyclist.
Shortly afterward, all the first responders showed up - fire, ambulamps, po po. Traffic was blocked and rerouted at he intersection a little further south. I was actually impressed at the quick efficiency of it all.
The injured cyclist - wearing a helmet - was on his back and appeared to be conscious and speaking with his helpers. This was along a busy stretch that I personally wouldn't ride a bicycle on. There is a bike lane, yes, but PFFFT. Now, I'm not victim blaming here, I'm sure he had the right of way. But a little common sense goes a long way.
Just about every close call I've ever had while bicycling in traffic involved someone turning left. In fact, [that one time I was hit], several years ago when I was bouncier, was by a woman who turned left into me. It seems that left-turning drivers are looking for oncoming cars and bicycles turn invisible.
8 comments:
I love that tree!!! It doesn't look sinister to me. I find it a cool sculpture. I think the left-turn thing is real, for motorcycles too. Although most on a motorcyclea take too many chances, Rick had issues with the people turning into him as if he wasn't there in the lane next to them. He no longer rides bikes as you can imagine but he still talks about that.
BTW, so glad the therapy and dry needling worked for you!
Yes, I found that sculpture actually kind of cheery, but then I was looking at it with a non-biker's perspective. Happy orange slices at first till you spot the handlebars!
Peggy, I agree, motorcycling is risky business. They are similarly "invisible" as bicycles. Motorcycle accident victims rarely have "minor" injuries
Marty, orange slices! I see them now!
As my husband has recently picked up road biking, I can attest to the fact that bike lanes are pretty much ignored. He basically refuses to go on major thoroughfares, which means he has to go get different hybrid tires so he can do some red clay trails and stay away from cars!
Allstarme79, good for him. No question who comes out worse in a bike vs. car collision!
I think the sculpture looks like a many-wheeled cart that is losing its wheels. Interesting, certainly.
"Going south, turned left, going north." Try as I might - not very hard admittedly - I can't work that out. Spatial awareness is not my strong point. Also you probably drive on the other side of the road. Anyway, glad the cyclist was talking at least.
Liz, ah, I think I can understand the confusion. Imagine a pickup going north and turning right into a cyclist going south??
Anyway, I didn't see anything about the accident in any news feeds, so I assume no news is good news regarding the status of the bicycle guy.
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