I’ve been riding bikes since I was a kid, but, as an adult, only since 1983. I started up then when I was between marriages as something I loved to do and something that could keep me in shape.

As such, I have put tens of thousands of miles on my bike, stints at commuting to work, too many centuries (a ride of 100 miles) to count, and numerous cross-state tours, as well as a tour around Ireland. I have always been emphatic that one should wear a helmet when riding and have worn one since 1983.

However, there was ONE instance I rode without my helmet. And it was this one time that disaster struck.

I was commuting to work from my home in Liberty, Missouri, to my job in downtown Kansas City. I have done this on a regular basis quite a bit. This particular commute was about seventeen miles. And on this particular morning, I was distracted as I prepared for the ride in.

I had chosen to ride my fixed gear bike and the front tire was flat. Time was running out, so I hurriedly exchanged the flat one with the wheel off of my regular road bike.

As I took to the road, all was well and I was looking forward to the usual uneventful ride. That is, until I got about fifteen minutes into the ride. That’s when I reached up and discovered I had taken off without my helmet.

This was very disturbing to me, as I never, ever get on the road without a helmet. I had two choices: I could turn around, go back home and abort the commute or I could plow on, sans helmet. I opted for riding on. Afterall, what could happen, if I took extra care and was even safer than my usual self?

And so, the commute WAS uneventful, until I reached the south end of the last bridge before my workplace.

Are you familiar with what is called a pressure ridge in the roadway? It is a hump or bump where the asphalt gets scrunched up, usually at an expansion joint or crack in the underlying pavement. They are something cyclists must be wary of and take extra caution in crossing. One technique is to “hop” your bike over it by judiciously jerking up on the handlebars ar just the right moment. That’s the thing I did on this morning.

Remember I mentioned earlier that I had switched wheels? This was grave error #2. It seems that when I put the wheel in the fork, I neglected to tighten the nuts which hold the wheel in the fork. Can you see it coming?

As I approached the ridge, I jerked up on the bars. Surprised, I watched as the front wheel went off on its own course, leaving me hanging (for a split second) in mid-air. Gravity took over and I went down. Hard. My head slammed onto the pavement as my body and bike skittered into the roadway.

Miraculously, there was no traffic at that instant. I wasn’t knocked unconscious, but I certainly saw the moon, stars and planets circling around my head. Dazed, I gathered my bike and wheel from the road. A fellow in a small pickup stopped and asked if I needed help. Well, even though I was only about 300 feet from my destination, I was dazed and disoriented. I took him up on his offer, threw the bike in the back and he delivered me to the building.

Now, as it happened, my wife worked in the same office. I went up to where she was and announced, “Judy, I think I need to go to the doctor!” Of course, she freaked, especially at the sight of blood running down the side of my face (it was a mere flesh wound, caused by the temple of my glasses being mashed against my ear). Off we went.

To wind this sad, cautionary tale up, the doctor confirmed that there were no broken bones, only possibly a mild concussion, but nothing else.

They say God looks out for fools and drunks. I would have to add stupid cyclists that tempt fate by going helmetless. One time, one time in my long cycling career without my helmet and look what happened. It could have been a lot worse.

Let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks they don’t need head protection while riding a bicycle. I’m, luckily, living proof of what can happen when your bare melon hits the pavement.

Your helmet: Don’t leave home without it.