Reader letter #3 - anonymous

Here's another letter sent to Rivendell to be forwarded to me after the publication in the Rivendell Reader of my article 1,001 Nightmares. The writer did not identify himself.

The sun was out on a warm June morning. I was riding west on Scholl's Ferry Road, a two-lane road with stripes marking the ample shoulders. I was in the farm country of Washington County, Oregon. There was very little traffic, and I noticed the sound of a truck coming up behind me. Using my helmet mirror, I looked back and saw a pickup truck. I dropped from my upright position down to the bars. I noticed that I was going 22 mph.

The truck closed quickly and as it came alongside me, I saw its blinking front right turn signal. I realized instantly that the truck was going to turn into a gravel driveway just ahead. A large mailbox was between the driveway and me. A serious ditch was on my right. I couldn't turn; there was no escape.

I grabbed both brake levers and began a skid. The truck braked hard and turned in front of me. It had a utility body with compartments on the sides. My first thought was to avoid going under the wheel. I yelled out, NO. I hit the body with my left side and fell to the driveway. My bike went into the ditch.

The truck parked a few yards away; the driver got out and headed into the house. He glanced at me, still crumpled in the gravel and said, "you should learn how to ride that bike." I was apparently uninjured, though he couldn't possibly have known that. I considered that he could probably put his hands on a hammer or wrench, so I calmed my anger and called the Washington County Sheriff's Department on my cell phone.

I waited a half hour before two sheriff's cars showed up. The deputies spoke with me and went into the house to speak to the driver. One deputy measured the skid mark from my bike. It was 20 feet long. I noticed skid marks from the truck's turn into the driveway. It was clear to me that the driver had intentionally cut me off.

The deputies told me they ticketed the driver for making an unsafe turn. I got on my bike and finished my ride.

A week later I began another ride. Each car that approached me from behind caused me to pull over and stand astride my bike. I broke off the ride and returned home. I haven't ridden since. That was June 1996.