Two Years On

It’s been exactly two years since the event that changed my life irrevocably. I always used to wonder about fate, if it existed, you know, how our lives unfold and what control we have in it all. If each little action truly causes a reaction in the timeline of our lives and how if we had done one small thing differently it might cause a ripple effect that could change everything.

I wondered what was the closest I’d ever come to actually dying. Maybe that time when a crash happened right behind me on the highway. Or maybe that time I decided not to walk down that street late at night after a show.

On April 8, 2008 my life changed forever when I was hit by a truck while riding my bike. I’m well recovered now, physically and emotionally for the most part. But if that accident hadn’t happened I wonder how I might be different today. I guess we all have to face our own mortality at some point its just that some of us aren’t afforded the extension of life to reflect back on our findings.

I have a family now and honestly cherish every moment I have with my wife and son. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about what happened on that cool April day. I know these are all a lot of clichés but I don’t write long winded about my experience for any other reason than because it’s an acceptable substitute for talking to myself.

This year’s anniversary is marked by two events. First, today I rode, really rode, a fixed-gear bike for the first time since my accident. I didn’t quit riding a track bike after my accident because I was scared too. Initially it was because my bike was totaled. The vintage Bridgestone I was riding when I got hit now hangs on the wall in my office. Then when I was well enough to start riding again my focus changed. I got a road bike, moved to Brooklyn near Prospect Park and started training and eventually racing. Now I’m working fixed-gear workouts into my training schedule.

Being on the bike today was amazing. I forgot how smooth and tight a nice track bike feels. A smooth, quiet, extremely efficient machine. It would be an understatement to say it was a Zen moment.

Secondly, this Saturday is the Tour of the Battenkill. A 62 mile race (for category 5) in Upstate New York that is influenced by the European classics characterized by dirt and gravel roads that comprise a good portion of the course. This will be my longest race to date and the first with my new teammates from Team TOMS. It’s going to be a great challenge and nice end to my time in Category 5. I admit that I slacked off more than I should have this winter but come on, who didn’t. This winter was brutal.

So here’s to life. Enjoy it and don’t let fear and apprehension keep from doing the things that make you happy.

-Ray