the bike crash heard round the world

Well today was the day that the camel's back was broken by the proverbial straw. Over the past few months, years even, I've had a growing disdain for people who ride their bikes on campus here at A&M, but who have no business riding a bike at all, anywhere. You see, A&M's campus is a very busy, congested, high-traffic place, even without a single bike rider. Add to the mix those riders who are competent, and you have a high-traffic place where order is still maintained, save a few pedestrians who forget how to walk when they see an oncoming, experienced rider who will certainly avoid them if they'll simply stay the course.

But madness ensues when those riders unworthy of bringing their bike to school, bring their bikes to school. It is an injustice that must be stopped. Why today D.O.? What happened? What was the straw that broke the two humped animals spine? I'll explain, as briefly as I possibly can.

I was riding home from class, and as I approached the breezeway of the MSC (arguably the busiest location on campus), I spotted two of my friends standing and talking, and I immediately made up my mind to stop and visit. Behind my friends, in the distance, I saw a girl riding her bike towards me and carrying a enormous notepad straight up in the air, which she seemed to be using as a sail. I thought that foolish of her, but my desire to visit with my friends exceeded (as it always does) my desire to think bad thoughts about strangers. Approximately 8 feet prior to reaching my pending conversation with peers, homegirl on the sail bike smashes into the right side of my bike, at about a 45 degree angle, and I fear neither hands on the brakes. The outcome: neither human was injured, other than a loss of pride from both parties (which is never bad), and the Ironhorse suffered the two injuries pictured in this post.