Sometimes we list the things we think we’re going to miss about Santiago. At the top of that list for Mark and myself is Ciclorecriovia. On Sundays we get on our bikes to ride car free on the usually heavily trafficked roads into downtown Santiago for church. The way there is usually pretty relaxing as there aren’t too many people participating right at 9am when the roads are shut down, but at noon when we head back, there are many participants. It can get tight.
The kids have had many near misses in colliding with other cyclists or rollerbladers as their minds wander or they aren’t in a single file line between us. It can be stressful but so far, so good. Well, until a few weeks ago.
We were less than a mile from home when Wilson was hot shotting and trying to pass me, race me, or who knows what. He biked right into my wheel throwing me off my bike and onto the pavement.
I screamed and cursed… a lot. I had hit the ground hard on my hands and knees. My bike landed on me. Once I realized nothing was broken, I was so mad at his risky behavior I laid into him. Pro parenting move, I know.
Mark took the kids home and let me hobble back, walking my bike and cooling down. Once home, I spent most of the next couple days icing my very bruised knees and hands. We had a hiking trip planned for the following weekend, and I did not want to miss the hikes I had been day dreaming about.
My left hand still goes numb some nights. I think the fall aggravated an old injury from a previous long cycling trip, but I’m so thankful I wasn’t seriously injured. I made myself bike to errands two days later so I didn’t have time to get into my head and be fearful of being on the bike. I didn’t want to lose the love of one of our favorite parts of Santiago.
We’ve all participated in CicloRecreoVia a couple times since, and I’m happy to report both those times were without incident. The Sunday event still holds a place in the top 3 things about Santiago, and now Wilson will forever be scarred by the time he put his mother into the pavement.
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