On to day 3, and finally I am cycling south down route 101, having completed the west loop around the Olympic National Park yesterday.

The topography was relatively flat, the roads were wide and long, the visability was good and it wasn’t raining. After yesterday’s downpour, the roads were still a little wet, so I donned my hi-vis gear and red rear flashlight as a precautionary measure. In 9-days time, I thought to myself, I could be in San Fran if all goes to plan.

I was less than 20 miles into my morning, it was about 10am, and I was looking forward to having breakfast once I hit Ruby Beach….

….and then I blacked out.

I came around, about two and a half hours later, strapped to a rigid back brace, staring up at bright lights, everything hurting, people running around me. I had no idea where I was or what had happened. In fact, the whole of yesterday was a blur. I spent a couple of hours in the intensive care unit in Forks hospital, and was subsequently transferred by road ambulance to the Trauma Unit of Seattle Harborview Medical Centre, 6 hours away.

So what happened? Having now spoken to several sources, including the local sherif and my production crew friends (who miraculously appeared on site shortly after the accident) I was (responsibly) cycling down the hard shoulder of route 101 South. One car approached me from the opposite direction and one, a large Dodge Durango, came up behind me. Instead of waiting patiently for the other car to pass, the Dodge recklessly decided to overtake me at exactly the same time as the oncoming car was passing. A grave miscalculation (we do not know yet whether the driver was drunk/tired/on medication), the Dodge clipped my rear wheel, which sent me flying into his windscreen and then through the air for 40 yards into the tick undergrowth where I lay unconscious and undiscovered for over 10 minutes.

Having been subjected to hours of medical tests and umpteen injections (and unable to eat or drink for 24hrs), I feel very relieved to be alive. It turns out that the driver was travelling at 55mph, my helmet has completely smashed, and my bike is crumpled scrap (sadly, it is beyond repair). In fact, every doctor I have spoken to thinks it’s a miracle.

No one ever likes to be told that they are injured or ‘off games’, not least when they have been planning a trip of a lifetime for the past 9 months. I am understandably very disappointed that I have had to put my trip on hold whilst I recover, especially given that the accident was so far out of my control. However, it is events like these that teach us to be grateful for every day that we are given and to enjoy our time on this earth. I am so grateful that I have managed to survive this run-in with little more than a badly broken shoulder (scapula), bruised lungs and a face that looks like I’ve gone 15 rounds with Mike Tyson. I am still not entirely sure what my ‘new plan’ is, but I expect that I will go back to Vancouver to get some rest and recovery, and I may then rent a car to drive down the west coast of America. Once my shoulder had healed, I would like to climb back on the saddle in Cancun and, from there, complete the rest of my trip down through Central America… but only time will tell.

Before I sign off this left handed update, I want to say a couple of thank you’s. Particularly, I would like to thank all of the doctors and nurses that have treated me in Forks and Seattle – I have been amazed by their attentiveness and 24/7 care over the last 36hrs. Also, I owe huge thanks to my wonderful new film production friends that I met for dinner in Forks. Despite having known me for less than 24hrs, they were at my bedside in Forks, literally from the moment the accident happened, and today they travelled to visit me in Seattle. I have been so touched by their kindness.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone back home who has been so supportive. It has been a real boost to receive all of your messages.