My number was not up.
Since the pandemic I no longer go on long exploratory rides. I ride large loops around the bucolic, agricultural landscape of the small town I live in. I laid out the 50-mile course with almost all right turns so I would not have to cross traffic. But in some places those right turns are there, or I should say were, because I have reversed direction on one road without sacrificing mileage. I have had two 400-mile weeks this year and my weight is the same as it was in high school. Yesterday I came to the end of a road that has a stop sign with a large bush that blocks the view of oncoming traffic. If traffic is there, I honor the stop sign, if not I slowly roll through it. I use my front brake to slow down. Yesterday I heard traffic coming so I applied my front brake. I heard a strange noise like a guitar string breaking and my bike did not stop. By the time I got to the rear brake I was in the road in front of a car. The woman who nearly hit me did not yell at me. She asked If I was ok, and I thanked her profusely for not hitting me. My brake cable broke due to micro metal fatigue and I have replaced it.
I never panicked. If I had stopped, I would have been a sitting duck in front of her car. I aimed for the guard rails on the opposite side of the road and missed them by inches. It was close but no collision occurred. With the amount of riding I do it is inevitable that **** is going to happen. I know this and accept it. My number was not up; good luck with yours.