Unfortunately, this is the last ride report I will be writing for a while. Usually writing ride reports is one of my favorite things to do. For me, it is basically a running journal of the places, roads, and people I get to learn about when I go out riding. Each journey, recorded on paper or not, becomes a small kernel of history that allows me to learn a little more about the world I live in. Unfortunately, like any other form of history, there are always dark kernels. April 22, 2017, was one of those dark kernels for me.
The plan was to head down to Circleville, Ohio and come back to Youngstown the same day to cover an Ohio Mini Roadracing League (OMRL) event being held at Circleville Raceway Park. I headed out later than I had planned due to waking up late and the unseasonably cold temperatures. Once I was fueled up, I hit the road around 7am. Because I was running late I took the fastest route to Circleville, which is I-76 west through Akron to I-71 south to U.S. 23 on the south side of Columbus. I had already traveled all of those roads several times this year and found them to be in good condition. Since it was a weekend and early in the morning, the traffic going through downtown Akron on I-76 was very light. While the weather forecast has called for steady rain the entire ride, I did not encounter at all during the three hour ride.
The OMRL event was great. They has 44 competitors turn out on a day when it was supposed to rain all day, compared to 51 competitors for the 2016 season-opener under near-perfect weather conditions. It was also great to visit with the Anthonys before Gavin Anthony made his debut as a professional motorcycle road racer at the MotoAmerica event at Road Atlanta the next weekend.
I left the event later than I wanted to (around 4pm) and was heading to Freddy’s Street Food in Delaware, Ohio for dinner when I was involved in a motorcycle accident. I do not want to go into details about what happened or my injuries at this time. However, my FJR1300 has been totaled and I will need to take some time to heal up before I can ride again.
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the EMTs who responded to the accident from the Orange Township Fire Department. Several of them ride and did their best to keep me in good spirits. I would also like to thank the nurses and staff at the OhioHealth Lewis Center Emergency Department who tended to my injuries quickly and kindly.
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