Verdict On my Ride

I dropped my bike off at the bike shop. My fork is ok, just scratched off the clear coat. It goes down to the carbon but no evidence that the structure is compromised. My front wheel is shot and needs to be replaced. Water bottle cages are gone and my bike seat is a little tore up. All in all not a super expensive replacement. With a new helmet it will come to around $200 - $300 for parts, etc. I have other maintenance stuff that needs to get done, so they are going to do it while the bike is in the shop.

I had a nice time venting to the bike shop guys about the situation. Basically what I am most frustrated about is the blame. My leg looks like it got beat with a tire iron, my whole body hurts from my jaw down to my calf; ok it will heal. My bike is busted, but it's getting fixed and won't be as expensive as I thought. What pisses me off is that I am sure she is talking about that reckless cyclist who was so obviously at fault for the whole thing.

Riders in Houston get a bad rap from drivers. I know how to ride so as to not get hit by a car that is remotely following traffic rules. I'm not saying I don't roll through the occasional stop sign, but I do my best to ensure I don't put myself or a car in a tough spot of each figuring out how avoid each other. In this situation she made the mistake and I really wanted her to leave knowing that. Instead I'm afraid she is adding to the fodder of why you should yell at a cyclist to 'ride on the sidewalk'.

PS. Rode to work on 'The Beast'. Took me about 15min longer and I felt like I was driving an SUV. Plus those stairs at Memorial were tough, I think 'the beast' weighs about 25lbs more than my road bike.