Michael: Hope your injuries recover soon.

Manjula: Hope your bikini recovers soon.

To the rest of you who've had cycling accidents, I hope your recovery went well. Don't let this put you off cycling - the world needs fewer cars.

Been there, done that too, but now, I have a mountain bike with thick tram-track-proof tyres.

Amsterdam is generally a friendly place to cycle in, and usually a mountain bike is considered overkill. Unkile England, people in Holland actually leave enough space between their cars and the kerb to cycle past. Back when I used to live in the UK, this was not the case, and I had to weave in and out of the traffic, sometimes while cycling downhill at breakneck speed. I've not had any spectacular injuries. I did once try and mount a kerb at too shallow an angle, and as a result, was thrown over my handlbars, but thankfully, I managed to remain horizontal, so I suffered nothing worse than scrapes on my hands and knee. Another time, I had a near-accident. I tried to overtake a lorry with an empty trailer, but because it was too close to the kerb, my handlebar was positioned above the trailer's flat-surface. But then, the trailer started to move. It has a sticking-up bit at the back, and I realised that it was soon going to whack my handlebar causing me to crash into the edge of the road (this was a curved stretch of road, so the trailer had moved closer to the road). Thankfully, I realised this in time and came to a complete stop before my handlebar was whacked. Oh how I miss Dewsbury. I had to have my brakes replaced once every 3-6 months back then.

As for helmets, I find that wearing one tends to make me overconfident and perform more risky manouevres. Without one, I am aware of how fragile my body is, and with a helmet, I seem to believe that I've got a magical shield that will protect me from all harm, rather than a piece of plastic on my head.

AE.

Thanks.

When I wear a helmet, I don't feel much safer, but it itches.

That sounds hard ... in which part of France are you living?

What part of USA are you living in?

Michael Faerber said:

Well, we guys were drinking the whole nite...
By 4 am, we were thru with the alcohol, so had gone to get some more and...

...BANG!

So you went around, badly wounded about 4 AM, searching for a hospital?
Shit that sounds hard!

Hey ... I wanted to mention that, but I forgot it! Thanks Kauhiz!

Dude, I live in Texas and still manage to bike to get my groceries every now and then.

OFF TOPIC:
How should I take it, Gnolam ? ;-p
I do not have the avatars displayed because it will forbid me from using a.cc at work.

ON TOPIC:
Your face seems to be really hurt ! As I can say in French: "T'as pris une belle gamelle !" (You got a nice fly, slang)

Texas is warm usually Up here it gets cold and icky during the winter, and I don't especially want to bike 20 or so miles to my classes in the middle of winter, when I can drive in a nice warm car.

Excuses!
In the winter I use the bicycle most of the time to go to school, but it's not THAT far - only about 6 miles.

My "Excuses!" should have been a joke, because 30 kilometers is really something different than 5 km.
I can understand that BAF likes to go by car in this case.

That would only be in the UP (Upper Peninsula). It gets up to about, oh, 6 or 7 inches near Detroit.

both your pics look almost similar except for fewer crusts and a glass...

Matt Smith said:

ya... it's true bout girls diggin scars!