Day 3. Bicheno to Scamander. 35 Miles.

152 Miles / 245 Km

Well today couldn’t have started any better and ended any worse!

This morning I got up at 5.30am for the sunrise! I walked over to the Bicheno Blowhole where I was last night and watched the sun come up over the water! It was beautiful – I should get up for the sunrise more often! Rarely do I intentional catch a sunrise!

Back at the hostel an hour later, I chill for an hour or so, do some blogging, eat breakfast and have coffee – ready to leave at 8.15! The weather is perfect today, and the wind is gentle. Im alive, alert awake and enthusiastic about today’s ride. I hadn’t really planned any stops out today as there were no town until Scamander (St Helens was my original destination of the day) Scamander was 50km away and after hitting 18km in the first hour and then 35 in the second I was feeling pretty fantastic and enjoying the ride on the bike today knowing I was making good timing and decent milage! The hills were manageable, with just slight up and downs so I didn’t have to get off the bike 🙂

I was biking along the coast all morning which was wonderful. The views over the white sands and blue ocean were insane. My soul was definitely happy.

I get to Scamander at 12.30 and stop at the supermarket for snacks and sugar! I sit here a while and just take a rest, My timing is good and I can catch up with some friends on FaceTime and over messenger! Feeling pretty good for the last hour ride to St Helens. Thinking I’l be there no later than 2 and might even get an extra ride in to the Bay of Fires!

And then BAM! There goes the perfect day on the bike. I’m sent flying off my bike by a car. There’s one of my 9 lives gone. Actually in the space of a year that’s twice I’ve had a pretty bad accident (first one on the bike though) I had only been on my bike a couple of minutes after stopping for lunch! You can see from my watch, where I have uploaded the speed today, and the heart rate in the background!

First of all, I am very grateful I was in a town – even a small one like Scamander, and the amount of people that stopped and came over was incredible. Such a wonderful local community! I was very lucky to have a volunteer Firie and volunteer paramedic pull over straight away and come deal with me!

I’ll attempt to describe what happened first. I tried to google map the place where it happened but looks like it hasn’t been updated in over 10 years. So heres an old image and then some added extras! The road is actually now all tarmac, the coffee shop is a lot bigger and there is a main road on the left, so I get hit right on the corner. I’m lucky in the sense there is now a path there and it wasn’t a straight edge path, it had a slope going up! This actually enabled me to jump up away from the car and jump off the bike!

So I’ve only been on my bike maybe 5 minutes, I’m not going that fast – my watch tells me 24 km/h. This car passes me, she gives me space so she’s seen me but she’s going so slowly. Which felt odd seeing as the road is pretty main and spacious. I am actually biking in the parking spaces that are empty along side the road so I’m not even in the main road… After she passes me she starts pulling in and then turns straight into the coffee shop right in front of me! I have gone to break and turn my bike to the left to avoid hitting her straight on, I think my bike bag on the bag actually saved my bike from getting fucked. I hit the kerb hard and went up and flew off the bike, luckily she actually stopped and I just knock my side on the car, I’ve pushed the bike away and I’ve somehow twisted my body in a way that I land almost entirely on my right side and then straight onto my back and smack the back of my head and neck pretty hard on the dirt/gravel. I hear my helmet crack!!

I stupidly get straight up, shouting “what the fuck” and becoming really angry. I stumble to the fence and fall against it as I’m pretty dizzy. My head is hurting from the back and my body is shaking. The driver of the car is an elderly lady with her grown up son. She comes and sits next to me with her head in her hands not saying anything at first. I’m way too confused at who she is to begin with and then a ton of people run at me and crowd around. A lovely woman introduces herself as a paramedic. I’m totally confused at this point and angry at being hit off the bike. I feel okay for the first few minutes and I’m chatting away and then my head starts thumping from the side and back, my arm is on fire, my back is in pain and I am hyperventilating. There was the shock! I was laid down in the recovery position and waiting for an ambulance. I felt terrible. I was dizzy and struggling to stay conscious. I must have drifted off for a second because I woke up to a blanket being over me protecting me from the heat and I freaked out! haaa! The shock seemed to subside after a while and I was back being able to talk but couldn’t get up. The people around me were awesome in engaging me in conversation and just being generally wonderful.

Ambo turns up probably within half hour or so, and I’m taken to St Helens hospital. I do have another panic attack in the ambulance, as I realise I’m strapped in and my arm is spasming! Other than that it was an entertaining ride to the hospital – feeling a little like I’m cheating getting a ride the final hour of the day haha! The lovely woman (paramedic) that stopped actually works with these guys, and she followed us up to the hospital with my bike! Some how my bike is all in one piece?! I stay at the hospital for a couple of hours just so they can observe me. Turns out they are over staffed today, and I have so many nurses and doctors come and see me. Definitely felt in good and safe hands! Today has been way more socialising than I had anticipated! haha. When we were riding in the Ambo, the radio was constantly going off about the accident and how they were sending another Ambo, 2 Firies and a police car to the scene. The Ambo crew were trying to cancel all but the police but the communication was apparently crap and all these emergency services were on the way. Once at the hospital they managed to call the Firies off. Glad to know the whole army were planning on coming out for me! This small town needed some action (you’re welcome)

I was already at the hospital before the police arrived. But they caught me just as I was leaving the hospital to get a statement. I think it was obvious that the woman was at fault, and she was very shaken up too. If I had been more hurt or my bike screwed up I would have pressed charges, But I was in no state to and really I didn’t see the point. Everyone was okay, there was a small dent to her car but thats her problem. My helmet was totally smashed at the back and side though – and something I will have to replace. A little annoyed at the extra expense but I will never ride without a helmet. Especially as that just might have saved my brain/life.

So please please PLEASE. If you cycle… anywhere. Wear a fucking helmet. You are a dumb fuck if you don’t.

So Yeah, I am battered and bruised and suffered a ‘mild concussion’, but luckily sense of humour still intact and limbs still attached to body! I have to rest for the next 48 hours, and let the bruising shine! I’ll be staying in St Helens for an extra night, and taking a bus to Launceston on Wednesday where I’ll be able to rest again. I will miss two days of biking which I am totally gutted about, but I have to take care of myself and listen to the doctors. If thats not me changing my normal stubborn-ness I dont know what is! Maybe wisdom does come with age!

Luckily the hospital is in the town I have accomodation booked for the night! I check into my hostel around 4pm. Head into town quickly to get a new helmet (thinking I might be able to ride tomorrow) and to grab some food and painkillers. Back at the hostel I eat, and get a bag of ice to take to bed with me to ice up all the bruises. Not looking forward to the next 48 hours where I’m sure I’m about to feel everything 10 times worse! It will get ‘worse before it gets better’ pfffft. Im in bed pretty early and trying to sleep, my mind is still racing from the afternoon. My emotions are all over the place and I’m an anxious mess. Today has been a physical and mental shock and I don’t know what this means for the rest of the ride. I know I need to rest up. Today scared me and today made me very grateful for there being awesome people around me! 🙂

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“Falling down is part of life. Getting back up is living.”