We just got the word that Kristie's gone. I wanted to share some thoughts from Mark one of our fellow MTB riders about Kristie's accident:
Mountain biking is an inherently dangerous sport. We know each time we ride that our lives and the lives of our loved ones can be seriously or gravely altered without notice. We cheat injury and death everytime we ride, perhaps to remind ourselves that we are alive.
When I hear things like this, I sense feelings coming from all directions and I can almost feel inside the other person. Call it empathy, telepathic connection, or perhaps a spiritual connection. But it's something. And I know it's real.
I thought first about Kristie. I doubt she had any fear. I doubt there was much pain. I sense just a brief moment of confusion followed by nothing. Is grim as it sounds, she's lucky in some regard that she was knocked out instantly. I believe that she didn't fight for her life. Rather, I believe she embraced her own death.
I thought next about Chris. His pain will last forever. And I thought about Corey. He's so young that he probably can't even comprehend death. Holidays - ruined forever. They'll need all the support they can get from their friends, family, and the community. They'll need reassurance that God is with them even when they lose their loved ones.
Lastly, I thought about my mom who will undoubtedly be reading about this story soon in the paper or perhaps seeing it on TV tonight. She once told me that she's so afraid I'll die while mountain biking that she can't bear to look at the photos of my trips. Imagine how afraid she must feel that I might slip away without notice. I've told my mom time and time again that if I should happen to die while mountain biking please know that I was doing what I love to do with friends that share the same passion.
Are we selfish to dare our lives everytime we ride? Should we restrict our activities to less risky things? Perhaps. Will it stop me from riding though? Absolutely not.
I lost a friend many years ago to a heart failure. He was only 27 years old. He was a postal carrier that walked all day long, every day. And when he got home he and I would work out together. One day he was working out with a friend and just collapsed. He was dead before he hit the ground from a genetic defect: a small tear in his hear ripped open causing an immediate and fatal cardiac arrest. I stopped working out that day. I sold all of my weights and I told myself that I would never put myself in the face of that kind of danger again. It took me a good 7 years before I would ever work out again. In that time my health deteriorated and my lifestyle deteriorated. I gained weight, took up smoking, and drank too much. I should have never stopped doing what I loved to do for fear that a loved one might lose me while I was working out.
At the same time though today, I definitely feel a bit of guilt knowing that the people around me might suffer in the way that Chris and Corey are suffering now. My prayers are with them. I have no answers for my mom though. I can only try to reassure her that I'm coming back whether in this life or the next.
---mark
She didnt have a rear light. Thats busy and unlit stretch of road, becareful out there peeps. RIP to a fellow rider.
