What began as a 100 kilometre bike ride in the Brecon Beacons ended with a broken jaw, a brain injury and a huge adjustment to normal life. Here, I write about the lessons I’ve learned courtesy of the tree that got in my way.
Hi, I’m Nikki
When I agreed to tag along for a weekend of cycling in Wales at the end of April, I thought the biggest challenge would be how to tackle getting up the hills. It turns out, it was the downhills that packed a punch. On the final descent before we went for a well earned beer, I veered off course and directly into the path of a tree, hitting it at speed and losing consciousness. Luckily, I woke up. But I soon discovered it wasn’t quite as simple as getting back on the bike.
I was lying flat on my back. As I looked up there were branches covering the sky in all directions, so I figured I probably wasn’t on the road anymore. Beneath me felt cold and wet - probably mud. Not the best choice of place to lie down. That was the first of many things that didn’t make much sense. As I’d later find out, I had a head injury.
Everything I’ve Learned From Cycling Into A Tree
Turns out it taught me quite a lot actually. Originally a one-off press piece, this is the post that inspired my blog.
The Lessons Continue
Right when I thought I had it all worked out, I realised I was perhaps a little premature in my thinking. There’s a few (many) more things worth writing down.
The Lasagne Feeling
Read this if you want a really good recipe for a pasta dish. Also take a look if you want to hear about how some late night cooking helped me get back control.