This was a very long time ago. But the memory is clear like it happened yesterday.

This was the summer of 1989. My friend and I were road biking up in the Cupertino/ Saratoga hills and had just summitted Stevens Canyon Rd and began the descent on Mt. Eden. This is a particularly steep downhill section. As we came down probably going about 35 mph or so, a car on the left side of the road pulled out to make a left turn. He never bothered to look to his right as I was fast approaching. To avoid collision, I squeezed on both brakes and locked the wheels in panic. Due to the rough road, my tires quickly disintegrated through the rubber and hit rim. My bike quickly turned sideways and I slid down about 20 yards on very rough pavement. After the fall, I laid there in shock, legs and elbows torn to shreds bleeding. I was wearing a helmet and I was lucky not to have broken any bones.

Luckily the van that pulled out stopped to check on me. He was very apologetic and offered to drive me to the Emergency Room. The details of that trip to the ER was foggy. But I do remember clearly when the nurse was picking small rocks off my shredded thigh. Ouch! I was a young high school kid back then and I quickly recovered. But the memory stayed with me to this day. From that day forward, I've become vigilant. I assume that drivers don't see me or aren't looking for me. So I either brake through those intersections or I make myself very visible.

Tell me your story and what'd you learn from it?