Holy FREAKIN' cow, what a night...

So I rode my bike out to the college and back, where I teach on Tuesday nights. It works out to a good 9.5 mile ride round trip, but tonight was something surreal. It seemed that everything that could go wrong, DID. Here's a quick list:

• 20 mph headwind on the trip out
  
• Headlight batteries died
• Taillight batteries died
• Water bottle cage broke
• My pants leg got caught in my crankset and nearly flipped me off the bike. This is particularly puzzling as I had the leg rolled up AND tied with an ankle strap.
  

So in the end, I rode 5 miles in the dark, honestly fearing for my safety! However, I made it home safe and sound, thanks largely to divine providence. Seriously folks! Now I am not trying to turn this into a religious blog or anything like that (even though I am a Christian and not ashamed to admit it). Yet tonight, there was far more coincidence than could be simply justified away as... well... coincidence.

I had a beautifully clear night to ride with an almost-full moon, and I was able to see the road clearly enough to stay safely on it. But if that wasn't enough, every time that I was coming up on rough road, a pothole, loose gravel, or some other obstacle a car would happen to come by at that moment and I had light sufficient to safely navigate around any potential problem area. I was also blessed with many considerate drivers, who ALL moved into the far lane away from me while riding. This is something that NEVER seems to happen. Usually drivers want to see how close they can get to me.

At any rate, it was a night where there was potential for disaster through numerous safety issues, but all came through just fine. In the end I remained safe and actually feel very good thanks to the ride.

But just to let you know how much respect they give cyclists around here, this is what they consider "sharing the road."