No matter how experienced a cyclist is, if they have biked long enough, they have had at least one incident that was a little too close for comfort.
For example, this Redditor had planned to meet up with a friend at 5 a.m. so they could ride together before work, but their bike was totaled when a reckless driver committed a traffic violation.
"The guy made a right turn on red and didn't stop," they said. "He cruised through missing my leg and hitting my rear derailleur."
While the cyclist escaped relatively unscathed, the same could not be said of the bike, which sustained numerous scratches and a cracked frame.
To add insult to injury, the original poster said their grandmother, who helped pay for the bike, had died not too long before the crash.
"My grandmother had helped contribute $1000 towards this bike and she passed recently so it felt like I had lost a part of her in the process," they wrote in the caption.
Had there been cycling-friendly infrastructure, such as a bike path or protected bike lane, this accident could have been avoided.
Those things and others could help encourage future generations of bicyclists, which would, in turn, limit the amount of planet-warming gases emitted.
According to research from the University of Oxford, cyclists produce 84% less carbon dioxide from all daily travel than those who do not ride bikes.
So, not only is biking a healthy activity, but it can also help curb rising temperatures — a particularly pertinent battle after the European Union declared 2023 the hottest year on record.
If the original poster can take any solace from the accident, it's that their insurance covered the cost of a brand-new bike.
"So sorry about your bike. It looks like it was a beautiful bike. But it's good you are OK," one user commented.
"So sorry for your loss, financially and mentally," another said. "What a dream to ride, what a terrible nightmare for your last ride."
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