And so it was that this morning, 09/16/99, someone decided to help me test out my frame, fork, helmet and a front tooth.  I was riding up Jefferson (in the hills behind Redwood City), as I always do on Tuesday and Thursday mornings on my way to the King's Mtn Ride, when, just past the fire station near the top, someone on his way to school backs out of his driveway and right into me.  My attention was on the road ahead, since there's a monstrous water-filled pothole right after that driveway, and on any cars that might be behind, since you have to move out towards the center of the lane in order to avoid a nasty encounter with that pothole.

That yellow car (perhaps an old Mustang?  I'm not much of an authority on cars) was simply there.  Right there, right in front of me, before I had any real concept that it was even a possible hazard.   In an instant my front wheel hits the side of the car (near its rear wheel) straight-on, and my bike conveniently pivots up off the back wheel, launching my head into the rear deck of the car  [Please note, Flite Gel saddles work very well as catapults...but I pray I never find out which bike part functions well as a guillotine!].  Helmet and chin "absorb" the impact, and apparently my chin moved my lower teeth up into my upper teeth in such a way that one of my two front teeth (the big ones up on top) broke off.  My lips took it "on the chin" a bit too, giving a bit of blood for dramatic effect.

Since this happened only a mile from home, my first thought, really my only thought at the time, was to get back as quickly as possible and see what shape I was in.  I really didn't see the point to standing around, waiting to get sore and discovering that I'd need help (yeah, DSMS, or Dumb Stupid Male Syndrome).  The kid in the car was a bit shaken up, looked me over quickly, said he couldn't see anything (hey, I'd hope not...if he was actually aiming for me, he's got another thing coming!), took a glance at his car and then drove off.  Obviously, I should have gotten his insurance information etc., but I'm not too worried about it at this point, since I've seen his car at that house for some time.  But at the very least I should have given him a business card so he knew where to contact me etc.

I don't really recommend instant deceleration from 13.5mph to zero as a way to test bikes, much less teeth.  I'm writing this immediately after getting a temporary cap on the tooth, and get to go back two more times to further assess the damage and get the semi-permanent crown.  Unfortunately, the dentist says it's possible that the trauma to the tooth could have been such that at some point it may require a root canal. (By the way, you know those movies where you see some guy spitting out a busted tooth after a fight, and how impressive it looks?  Nothing to it!)

The bike fared much better!  Even though this was a severe impact with an essentially immovable object (why couldn't it have been a tiny foreign car?), the front Rolf wheel appears completely untouched, and the frame shows no visible damage at all.  The front fork, unfortunately, has had its chrome-moly steer tube bend, while the fork blades themselves are untouched.  If anyone needs proof that carbon fiber is stronger than steel, or at least strong enough to do the job, I now have it!

I could also turn this into a long piece on why you should wear a helmet etc., but that just seems too obvious.  The helmet has two small dimples in it, and my head was slightly buzzed, but it's not like I'm going to tell you it saved my life or anything...but I will tell you that I'm glad I was wearing it and I'm sure that, at the very least, I would have had a nasty headache, and who needs that?  Other minor symptoms are a slightly-stiff neck, but that was possibly aggravated from sitting in a dentists chair for 45 minutes shortly afterwards (not that I had a choice!).

So, I'll finish checking out the bike, and debate whether I really want to clean the car's paint off one of the left brake lever (it's a guy thing...kinda like getting stitches and the doctor trying to tell you that the scar won't even be noticeable...like hey, those scars are conversation-starters, bring 'em on!).  Obviously a new fork is in order, but as I said earlier, the frame appears to be untouched.  Anyone who says OCLV Carbon isn't strong enough to take a crash just doesn't know what they're talking about...I can now safely say that I do!  9/16/99.

Addendum- 11/4/99 I finally have my "real" fake tooth!  I believe it took eight visits to the dentist to get things taken care of...not something I'd recommend to anybody.  I would have had the real fake tooth (as opposed to the temporary fake tooth they first fitted...and re-fitted...) a week earlier, but after "installation" they decided that the color wasn't quite right so it had to go back to the lab.

[By the way, if you want to know what a fake tooth looks like...I doubt you'll be able to tell the difference.  Pretty-much feels like all the rest too, except that the backside is smoother (gold plated!) and the front side feels a bit sand-papery when brushing it.]

What's involved in replacing 3/4 of a tooth?  Nothing you want to experience first-hand.  That first visit entailed some initial shaping of what was left so I could be fitted with the temporary fake tooth...which shortly thereafter decided it wanted to come out on its own while watching the Sand Hill Downhill Challenge a week later.  Thus began a saga of fitting and re-fitting, removing more of what was left of the tooth in preparation for the final replacement, and a macabre waiting game that caught me completely off-guard.  The dentist, it seems, was convinced that the trauma to the tooth was so severe that it was going to die, requiring a root canal.  So, instead of taking care of things in the manner I would like (get it over with, now!), we wait...and wait...and wait.  Fortunately, my tooth has won the initial battle, although I'm told that down the road, at any time, it could suddenly (and painfully!) decide it doesn't like me anymore.

For now, the waiting game involves the drivers' insurance company.  I need to have my tooth and bicycle fork taken care of...I'm sure I could add in the value of my time for eight dental visits, but of course, that must be balanced against knowing that I now have a dentist that truly is an expert on my teeth!  Yeah, right, like I was looking for a personal relationship with my dentist...

In the meantime, I ride past that same house, twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and look from a distance for that yellow Mustang.  I did find myself changing my speed just a bit the other day, as I saw someone getting into it and decided, hey, why don't I just give it a 100 yard or so head start?  Nothing against yellow Mustangs, but it is kinda spooky, riding past the scene of the accident, over and over and over.  Oh, one more thing.  I now ride with a rear-view mirror attached to my Oakleys.  I hate the darned thing, and never thought I'd use one, but if there's one thing this accident has taught me, it's that safety must come before concern of looking geeky.

Addendum- 04/28/02 The stub of my old tooth is still hanging in there, refusing to die and require a root canal.  The insurance company settled after about six months... they don't seem too speedy about such things.  For a very brief time they tried to make it seem like the accident was my fault, but that attitude was quickly altered when I further explained things with a package that included photos I'd taken and a description of exactly what had happened.  Another thing I've learned since the accident is the importance of seeking prompt medical attention.  If you wait a couple days before seeing a doctor (or, in my case, a dentist), they're not going to take your claim very seriously!

Addendum 02/07/04 Still hanging in there with the tooth stub!  Looking back over this piece, it's been over four years since that car did a number on me.  Thankfully, it's also the last time I've crashed as well.  Still ride past the same place on my way to and from the regular Tuesday/Thursday ride up King's Mtn.  No yellow mustang anymore though, and the young kid who backed into me isn't quite so young anymore.  How time flies when you're having fun on a bike!