Originally Posted by
ljsense
...I also think it hurts, upon sharing the experience, to hear back a lot of advice on how to ride safely. (Don't assume... Pretend you're invisible... etc.)
Yeah, I can see how that could come across as unhelpful. Not my intention. I've been hit a few times, including last year, and the reality is that none of the usual advice for safe cycling makes any difference when drivers aren't paying attention.
Anyway, I hope you can take it easy, find some peaceful riding on the bike and get back into it. It's a big perspective shift to all of a sudden get knocked down when you're out enjoying your bike.
Ditto. While I can't recommend the "Get back on the horse, pronto" advice to everyone, it worked for me. But I also noticed I was feeling road-ragey for awhile and had to do some mental prep before each ride. Get into character, to quote Jules from Pulp Fiction. And I'm much more wary of riding in groups alongside people I don't know. I'm not anxious to crash again. A couple of weeks ago I dropped out of a group ride after noticing too much half-wheeling, which led to a predictable crash. Fortunately I'd stayed a few bike lengths back and didn't get tangled up. But being hit by a car last year ground down my patience for fools.
A friend who was injured around the same time last year (knocked off her bike by an unleashed dog) needed a year to recover mentally and physically. For awhile she didn't even use her trainer. But toward the end of 2018 she got into some Zwift activities suitable to her fitness level and found a compatible virtual cycling club that she found supportive. And she's recently begun riding outdoors again, always in a group of compatible friends. Helped rebuild her confidence.