Capo79
Viking spirit
If I would put my self on a scale ranging from defensive to aggressive, I would probably end up on the aggressive side of that scale. Even so, I never push it 100%. I'd say somewhere between 70-80% as to grant enough safety room in case something happens.
Anyway: Yesterday, I'd say I broke my own rule. I accelerarated too hard out from an intersection going into a tunnel downtown. The tunnel starts with a left turn, and there's two lanes. I drive here every day, so I know where and when the traffic usually starts getting jammed. This was no ordinary day, it seemed. The traffic was at a stand-still half way through that turn, with me in the left lane. I'd say I had roughly 50 meters to react and act. I guess my speed was somewhere between 70 and 80 km/h. Might have been even higher, I don't know. Result: Blocked BOTH wheels for a split second, but kept balance while turning(!). I thought to my self: "This is it. I'm gonna die in the rear fender of that car". Thanks to my extensive and very good training I got at the driving school last year, I still managed to come to a halt, maybe 30 cm from that fender. Pheeew....
Today was a totally different matter. Visited a friend this afternoon, and when I was heading home, I nearly pissed my pants. Came from an intersection where I have to yield for passing traffic. No cars were to be seen, so I turned right, out on the main road. Didn't see that sand... Rear end was skidding out during acceleration. I planted my right foot down on the ground, actually so hard I could hear the "smack" in the asphalt. That saved my butt. And this could have hurt big time, as I didn't wear my riding pants as this friend of mine lives just five minutes away... Stupid, stupid, stupid...
These two incidents have really given me two serious wake-up calls!
Anyway: Yesterday, I'd say I broke my own rule. I accelerarated too hard out from an intersection going into a tunnel downtown. The tunnel starts with a left turn, and there's two lanes. I drive here every day, so I know where and when the traffic usually starts getting jammed. This was no ordinary day, it seemed. The traffic was at a stand-still half way through that turn, with me in the left lane. I'd say I had roughly 50 meters to react and act. I guess my speed was somewhere between 70 and 80 km/h. Might have been even higher, I don't know. Result: Blocked BOTH wheels for a split second, but kept balance while turning(!). I thought to my self: "This is it. I'm gonna die in the rear fender of that car". Thanks to my extensive and very good training I got at the driving school last year, I still managed to come to a halt, maybe 30 cm from that fender. Pheeew....
Today was a totally different matter. Visited a friend this afternoon, and when I was heading home, I nearly pissed my pants. Came from an intersection where I have to yield for passing traffic. No cars were to be seen, so I turned right, out on the main road. Didn't see that sand... Rear end was skidding out during acceleration. I planted my right foot down on the ground, actually so hard I could hear the "smack" in the asphalt. That saved my butt. And this could have hurt big time, as I didn't wear my riding pants as this friend of mine lives just five minutes away... Stupid, stupid, stupid...
These two incidents have really given me two serious wake-up calls!
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