This was a week after the Singapore marathon, in Bintan to cycle the Tour de Bintan stage 1 route. Distance for the day : 156km, so go at your own comfortable pace. My plan was slow and easy since I caught the flu, plus post-marathon muscle aches. So I was usually a distance behind the front pack - mostly alone or nearby Corrinna/Gracie - roughly the same speed.
This was perhaps 80km mark, about half way through the ride. I remember we had just restarted after a short break, so the front van wasn't in front yet. It was a quiet part of town when a motorcycle appear alongside me and I felt a hand on my right breast. I only recall yelling at him and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor, a pool of blood forming at my chin. I looked up and tried to yell at Corinna/Gracie (perhaps 60-70m in front) in vain. In the meantime, I just lay there staring at the blood pool grow increasingly bigger until Clarence came along. Then James and Sin appeared, then the van appeared. The driver - a great guy called Ah Hui first took us to a rather dodgy looking clinic but was told we needed stitches, so we detoured to the Bintan Naval hospital where I had my jaw X-rayed and the gash stitched. Thankfully Hooi Yen was with me since she speaks Malay and so I wasn't alone through it all. I asked her to watch everything to ensure new needles/etc. and she watched like a hawk, though at times I can hear her wincing - think quite gory during stitching.
Injury list - gash on my chin (3 stitches to close it), a grazed/bruised left cheekbone, cuts on my upper lip, a sore jaw (not broken), 7 fractured teeth, bruised wrists (left side still hurts), bruises on my right knee. Guess I got away lucky, could have been far worse. Speedier's injury - deep scratches on pedals & on right side shifter. Nothing major visibly elsewhere. For a bike that has never fallen - poor Speedier has now endured 3 (1 tragic, 1 SPD and 1 slip) - sorry baby!
That axxhxxx pervert went on to grope Corrinna so hard, she was sore and traumatized. Thank God she didn't fall off her bike.
Despite the awful fall, a lot of people were really kind. I was most blessed. From Ah Hui our driver who was so worried, to the fantastic nurse Hendrik who stitched me up good, to the fellow cyclists - who were really nice. James/Sin who were with me at the hospital. Hooi Yen who stayed with me and saw them stitch the wound - that's gross! Zi who wanted to shower me and regurgitate food for me and resisted sarcastic comments for that day. Simon who wanted to cook me breakfast at Bintan, brought Speedier home for me, washed him, fixed up his bent dropbar and then brought him back to me.
Part 2 - I got back on the bike last night. It was wobbly. The more fearful you are of falling, the more wobbly you get. While waiting for the others, I thought I should practise my clipping since my shoes/cleats are new. Despite the bike leaning on a lamp post & my right hand holding onto that damn lamp post : fall no.1 of the night. Kahhoe loosened my cleat tension after that, and we set off. At the NSRCC gate, again I was afraid clearing the dirt path & somehow the wheel came parallel to the kerb, slipped and again I was on the floor. Sitting there rubbing a really sore left palm, I was totally unnerved. I sat there with 4 fellow cyclists just waiting - I must say that's very comforting. No choice, need to exorcise the ghosts, I cycled scared and wobbly all the way to Shell petrol kiosk uneventfully. Concerned faces asked if I wanted to skip Selarang hill and return via Loyang. But it was a night of war - I had to face my fears. I'm glad I did, the return ride gave me back the joy of riding & a little confidence.
And in all things, bless God. I am thankful that I got to see kindness and my injuries aren't serious to cause lasting damage.
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