It Could have been Apa

6/19/14 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
Will Ride Later Tonight

A couple of days ago I abandoned my decision to commute by bicycle to my job at Greyhound for a number of reasons. The most important, I think, was consideration for my family and its needs (see my blog below . . . ). An additional consideration, that I had not mentioned yet, was the El Paso heat. I went out for a short ride on Tuesday the 16th and the heat really destroyed me. What would it have been like to try the second 8-mile leg of a commute in that heat?

This morning, as I was driving to work, something else came up, something haunting to me. As I was driving Westbound on Yandell, I could see a police car with lights on in the distance. At first I was a little irritated because I was not in the mood to find a detour. But as I approached the intersection, it was evident that one lane was open. As I got within a block, I could see a fire truck and an ambulance on the side street; then as I passed the intersection my breath was taken away by the sight of a bicycle, what looked to be a high-end road bike, smashed up and lying all alone in the middle of the roadway. The rear wheel was caved in ("tacoed" we call it in bike lingo) indicating that the bicyclist had been hit from the rear, apparently by a vehicle at high speed.

Note: This pic was farmed from the internet and was not the actual crash scene

I slowed and said out loud to myself "Oh my God, Oh my God" as tears welled up in my eyes. I wanted to turn around, but knew it would do no good. Even though I was in my GMC Jimmy, I suddenly felt helpless and exposed, as if I was on the street on my bike and at the mercy of the multitude of automobiles. I couldn't imagine what that poor cyclist must be going through. Later in the day, I checked the EPPD website and the accident was listed there, but there was no fatality indicated. I believe it was a hit and run, because the car in question was not present. Only a crushed road bike lying alone in the middle of the street gave proof that anything had happened at all.

This collision between a car and a bicycle hit home. If I had stuck with my decision to bicycle to work, this would have been my route – Yandell Drive. I would have passed this spot, where the collision was, at about 6:30am – and the PD website listed the time of the accident as 6:33am. If I had ridden, it would as likely have been myself in the ambulance that sped away.

Even if I wasn't in the collision, my wife and kids, knowing my bike routes through the city, would have been sick with worry if they heard about the crash. Even after they were assured that it was not me, their thought would be "It wasn't Apa – this time."

I will not give up cycling, like I did when the cycling world was shocked in 2003 with the death of Ken Kifer, a friend who was killed by a drunk driver. This time I will continue riding and will shake my fist at the devil. But I am grateful that I made the decision to not bike commute this week.

I will pray for that unfortunate cyclist and his (or her) family.