I’m “that guy” who refuses to take the train. Regardless of the weather. Everyday, I hop on a bike and truck it into Manhattan. Snow, rain, whatever. Come morning, I’m in my rain gear and on my bike riding to work. Now, I’m not asking for or seeking any kind of credibility, so don’t get it mixed up; I’m just offering some background. The past few weeks, we’ve had shitty weather in NYC. This morning was fine. It was a little slushy but the bridge was manageable.

Read on below…

Tonight was a different story. The streets in Manhattan were fine. Crunchy and salty. Like they should be. The bridge was the same. It was still icy, but I have decent tires (which I let a little air out of) so the trek across it wasn’t an issue. Then I make it to the streets of my neighborhood and what the hell happened to the DOT? There is absolutely no salt on the roads. Anywhere. The entire neighborhood is covered in black ice. The only streets that are ridable are the highway access roads. To boot, the people in NYC do not know how to drive. Period. Add a little ice to the mix and it’s like watching ice pucks sliding around a freshly frozen pond.

I made it over to my friend’s house to pick up a bike part and jokingly said “I haven’t eaten shit yet”. He laughed and said, “you’ve jinxed yourself now”. Sure enough, no less than two blocks away, I ate shit. Hard. Probably the hardest I’ve fallen in a long time. Knocked my helmet sideways and sat there for a second. It wasn’t the fact that I was riding when it happened, it was the foot that I put down to stabilize myself. I literally slipped up, like in Home Alone when Marv slides down the stairs to Kevin’s basement and landed sideways on my shoulder and head. I went to brace myself, and my hand slid out. My head took the brunt of the fall.

Helmets. They’re a good thing. Black ice sucks. Be careful out there guys.