I was just catching up on the news, and there were 2 bicycle-related articles that caught my eye.
One was a 57 year old homeless man, found dead on his bike. He suffered head trauma, and they think he was injured at a different location, but continued to ride to his final resting place. He was still on his bike when found. No cause has been determined yet.
The other happened in the UK. Basically, an unconscious male was found in the roadway, also with some serious head trauma. No explanation there either.
Granted, the first guy was homeless, so it’s not like he would have been doing a weekend ride with a club. But he’s still a human, and a cyclist. Maybe more hardcore than the rest of us, since he was living out of his backpack. But this brings up a few points. One, wear a helmet. This greatly reduces your chances of a head trauma. Two, ride with a partner if you can. Three, if you can’t ride with a partner, at least let someone know where you’ll be going , and when you’re expected back. Ending up unconscious or dead is no way to enjoy cycling.
Ride safe.