Right hook! Let down...

I had plans of a nice training ride after work on Wednesday. Best laid plans...

I was riding down a divided four lane road, two lanes in each direction. I was in the right lane, approaching an intersection. In this case, I was trying to take up as much of the lane as possible riding in the center of the lane. When a car pulls along side of me on the left... not completely in the left lane, but pretty close... I figure she has to see me, right? She just passed me.

Then she starts to move into my lane, and I think "she wants to turn right", but I'm even with her door, she has to see me, so she's going to slow down and turn behind me... RIGHT?

Nope. She starts to make the turn while half in the left lane, and doesn't see me. I ended up yelling a few times, grabbing all the brakes I can, and still hit her right door with my bars... I leaned on the car expecting to make the complete turn with her then.

Evidently, she noticed me at that point, and decided not to complete the turn. Instead she ended up stopped at the side walk entrance on the far side of the intersecting street with her front wheels over the curb, and I ended up on the ground next to her car.

Classic right hook manoeuvre (search for "right hook" on the link). I should have seen it coming, but when I'm doing 25+ and she was PASSING me to get to the intersection anyway. I must have instantly become invisible.

The guy driving behind her (and who was following me so he could turn right also) stopped and called the police, and stuck around as a witness. Very cool on his part, and I thanked him for it.

Fortunately, I only have some minor road rash. The bike seemed fine on the ride home, with the exception of the bar tape... and my shorts are trashed. I just need to stay off my left hip for a little while. No grass crashes for me, at least for a week or so!

Not the way I wanted to start getting ready for cyclocross... but it could have been much worse.

Maybe I did need a rest week in my schedule. Ride careful out there.

Postscript:
I just notice a couple new links:
This link took me to
some bike/car accident stats.