Spartan925
Warriors' Watch Rider
So it's safe to say I have become known around these parts for posting videos. And those videos haven't always gone over so well, mainly due to me making a bigger deal out of things than I needed to. I have to admit that the criticism I received over those videos not only made me a better rider but also caused me to take a look at myself as a person and what was important to me in terms of what I was getting upset about. This is one of the reasons why I haven't posted any videos in a while: I simply haven't had anything happen I've deemed worthy of posting, mostly because nothing has really happened. I've been working on honing my radar of when something might happen and taking action to avoid it instead of reacting to it after it's happened.
So I figured it was only appropriate that my first video shared here in a while is one where the reason I'm posting is because it was myself who did something wrong. I figured it could act as a word of warning to a newer rider who might come upon a similar situation, at very least.
I was splitting my way down 680 N and was in the #2 lane when the silver minivan changed lane from #3 to #2. I had been making my way pretty deftly through traffic from San Ramon and was scanning ahead for my next move. Now, this is when the voice in my head that typically alerts me to something I should pay attention to said, "That van is probably going to keep moving over." I don't know what it was that made me think that, but there it was. As I was scoping out the #1 lane I saw the face of the van driver in their mirror...they were mirror checking the #1 lane. Again, that voice was practically screaming, "That van IS going to keep moving over." But for some reason, I checked my rear quarter and kept going anyway, I honestly don't know why. And you can see in the video how they ended up. Keep in mind, as always, the lens doesn't do the distance justice...it was close.
youtu.be/DRx_5m4BUj0
Yes, I revved. yes, I hand gestured and yes, I shook my head. But seconds later, it hit me. I should have seen that coming. I DID see that coming, yet I went anyway. I should have given myself a head shake. From the looks of it, the van driver was a young guy with an older woman...so probably a kid learning how to drive. To even a seasoned and experienced driver I probably "came out of nowhere" so I can only imagine how it seemed to a n00b.
TL;DR, I've had a good stretch of incident-free rides and the first time in a long time anything close to an incident happened, it was basically IMO my fault. Had I been hit, who knows what LEO would have determined but in my mind, I would have felt like an idiot. Let it be a word of warning to riders, new and old, to pay attention to those voices in your head because they likely know better than you do.
So I figured it was only appropriate that my first video shared here in a while is one where the reason I'm posting is because it was myself who did something wrong. I figured it could act as a word of warning to a newer rider who might come upon a similar situation, at very least.
I was splitting my way down 680 N and was in the #2 lane when the silver minivan changed lane from #3 to #2. I had been making my way pretty deftly through traffic from San Ramon and was scanning ahead for my next move. Now, this is when the voice in my head that typically alerts me to something I should pay attention to said, "That van is probably going to keep moving over." I don't know what it was that made me think that, but there it was. As I was scoping out the #1 lane I saw the face of the van driver in their mirror...they were mirror checking the #1 lane. Again, that voice was practically screaming, "That van IS going to keep moving over." But for some reason, I checked my rear quarter and kept going anyway, I honestly don't know why. And you can see in the video how they ended up. Keep in mind, as always, the lens doesn't do the distance justice...it was close.
youtu.be/DRx_5m4BUj0
Yes, I revved. yes, I hand gestured and yes, I shook my head. But seconds later, it hit me. I should have seen that coming. I DID see that coming, yet I went anyway. I should have given myself a head shake. From the looks of it, the van driver was a young guy with an older woman...so probably a kid learning how to drive. To even a seasoned and experienced driver I probably "came out of nowhere" so I can only imagine how it seemed to a n00b.
TL;DR, I've had a good stretch of incident-free rides and the first time in a long time anything close to an incident happened, it was basically IMO my fault. Had I been hit, who knows what LEO would have determined but in my mind, I would have felt like an idiot. Let it be a word of warning to riders, new and old, to pay attention to those voices in your head because they likely know better than you do.
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