Lucky

On crashes and minor injuries

Hello all,

It’s lovely and sunny in Sheffield as I write this, and I’ve just had confirmation that I’ll be doing events in Shrewsbury and Newport next month (14^th and 15^th details here). Tickets are on sale now, and I hope I’ll see a lot of you there – especially in Shrewsbury, which is where I used to go shopping when I was a teenager.

We’re thinking of doing another one on the 13^th, ideally in a place that forms a triangle with Shrewsbury and Newport, but haven’t worked out where yet. Suggestions (and invitations) are welcome.

My old courier bike, on which I crashed more than any other

And now, on to this week’s essay.

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I broke my toe two and a half weeks ago. (Not that I’m counting the days, but… well ok, yes, I am counting the days.) I really shouldn’t complain too much though – a broken toe is one of the most minor fractures you can have.

When people ask me if I’ve had any serious injuries, I tell them that I’ve been very lucky so far – on the rare occasions when I do hurt myself, it tends to be minor, happen close to home, and owe far more to stupidity than to any peril I might have put myself in.

When I broke my nose, I was attempting to get through central Tokyo with a bike box strapped to my back, the day before I flew home after cycling across Asia. The irony was obvious – this was unquestionably the most serious injury of my trip, and it had occurred in the world’s safest city, rather than in one of the places people had warned me about.