I was on one of my usual group bike rides on a quiet country road in Santa Barbara, riding with about 30 other road cyclists, when a car tried to change direction suddenly to avoid a runner. From what I've been told, the driver moved around us so fast that he lost country of his car and hit me.
I don't remember any of this because I was thrown off my bike and directly into a tree. I had a serious brain bleed （出血）— despite the fact that I was wearing my helmet. I also broke a number of bones. Luckily, with good treatment I survived.
That accident happened four years ago. Because of my brain injury, I had to stay off my bike for a year because if I fell and again got my head hurt, it would be worse. To get back on my bike, I started running. I was still in a lot of pain, but I was determined. Nobody was going to hit me, change my life and then keep me from doing what I like at some point.
A year after my accident, I finally got back on my bike. But it had left an influence on me. If there are cars behind me, I will feel strained. However, I still ride.
Before my accident, I never raced. Now I'm faster than ever. One reason is that I have lost about 30 pounds. When I got hit, I weighed 205 pounds. After six weeks of being on a feeding tube（饲管）, I walked out of the hospital at 175 pounds, and I've stayed around that number ever since. I also think I'm faster because my accident lifted my competitive spirit. Since my accident, I've loved bike racing.
At the end of the day, I wanted to prove to myself that I could get back to doing what I loved — and I did that.
