May 6 at 2 p.m. I was riding my bike north of Vernon on Highway 97 about one kilometre shy of Swan Lake Nursery. I was well into the shoulder of the road when what felt like a piece of tire hit my left hip.
It hit hard and it hurt. I looked back to see a slurpee cup rolling along the road and the white truck from which it was thrown accelerating away. All of this happened very fast and I was not able to get the licence plate number of the truck. What I was able to notice was the person in the passenger seat was laughing. I guess he thought it was funny. I had just started my 60 KM ride so I had some time to think about what had just happened.
What struck me, other than the slurpee cup, was that almost two weeks to the hour before, Byron Chatham was involved in a fatal biking accident. I am not suggesting that what happened to me is comparable but what if that cup had hit my spokes instead of my body?
Obviously they did not think of this before or probably even after they threw the cup.
I was traveling at about 30 kilometres and the truck was probably doing about 90-100km per hour and if it had gone in my spokes it could have taken me down. I could have broken my neck/ back on impact. Would that have been funny?
I could have gone under the wheels of the next vehicle. I wonder if that would have been funny? I am married and have two children who are already a little worried about me when I go for a ride.
There are so many things to look out for when cycling. Rocks, pot holes, glass to mention a few. Now I need to constantly look in my rear view mirror for windows rolled down because some idiot thinks it’s funny to bean cyclists with drink cups.
James Nicholls
Vernon
