Starting on a low note...

So it happened, that horrifying what if that haunts everyone who hops on a bike. My friend got hit by a car, an SUV to be exact.

He's ok... sort of. I mean he was knocked out and woke up in an ambulance, has some road rash on his head, a broken arm and a fractured elbow and to top it off his super fancy 100 percent wool pants now have little holes in them (he was on his way to work when he got hit, it's not some new bike trend you don't know about...).

I spent three or four hours waiting around Tampa General yesterday while they pumped him full of morphine and checked to make sure he wasn't pissing blood. We laughed and winced and wondered what the future would hold and who would be next.

I ride a lot, it's my only way of getting around. Often I catch unnecessary honks from drivers who just can't conceive of why I am on the road. I have gotten in yelling matches, had to swerve to avoid being crushed, and talked shit to plenty of people I probably shouldn't have.

It's like a transformation occurs when someone gets behind the wheel. They are in their little steel shell and they don't seem to realize that when I'm pumping away on my Schwinn Le Tour the only thing between me and the pavement is me.

Anyway, I don't want to preach. I'm glad my friend is alive and the damage is minimal. Please please just be careful if you see me or any other cyclists out on the road...

I texted Denver last night to see how the pain was, he texted me back with this

"To quote Patrick Swayze, 'pain don't hurt much.'"

I think he'll be just fine...