I bought my Road ID over year ago and have worn it on every ride...except the one time when I really needed it. Here's what happened: I was at the bike shop getting my time trial bike adjusted to a more aggressive aero position. I had an upcoming race and wanted to shave off a few seconds to be more competitive. Since I was just going to be testing the bike's position and not doing a "real ride," I elected to leave my Road ID at home. I mean, it's just going to be a couple of test miles, right? That is where I was mistaken. The new position was so low that my visibility was compromised.
According to the bystander that witnessed the event, I apparently clipped the corner of a bus that was sitting in the bike lane. My last speed check was over 23 mph. I was knocked out cold. My bike was totaled, and I didn't regain consciousness until they were wheeling me into the ambulance. I had no recollection of the crash. None!
The ER personnel started asking me questions that I couldn't answer. I didn't know what happened, where I was, what bike I was riding, let alone my wife's name and phone number. I had nothing on me to identify myself, let alone who to contact. I was labeled "Isaac Doe" for close to 3 hours. I want to remind folks that, no matter what type of ride, run, walk, etc. that you may be doing on a particular day, something can always happen. My wife now insists that I wear my Road ID whenever I swing my leg over a bike. And I fully intend to do just that!
