Ride for their life

The scale of the devastation in Victoria is beyond my comprehension.

It seemed almost conceptual, not actually real at first. Some other people felt the same. But we were shaken out of that haze when confronted with a particular image.

The image that did it was different for everyone.

I’d viewed a number of the galleries, watched several videos – everything from exploding trees to dehydrated Koalas, but I think I still somehow felt numb, as though the shock insulated me.

Until I saw this.

A motorbike lays on the Heidelberg-Kinglake Rd in the Arthur's Creek/St Andrews Area. It is believed that the rider of the bike was found deceased near the crash scene. Picture: Darren Tindale

This was the image that shook me out of my detachment. I don’t really know why it was this one, but once that punctured my shield, the enormity of the whole horrific disaster hit me, and left me crying in the corner for I’m not sure how long.

I’ve ridden in some atrocious weather, and I’ve been foolhardy enough to attempt to flee from storms that have littered the roads I’ve been on – roads miles from anywhere – with large branches and huge amounts of debris.

It was utterly terrifying. Stopping and seeking shelter probably wasn’t an option, when the shelter is likely to come crashing down on your skull.

It certainly wouldn’t have been an option for this rider.

And that abject terror, that desperate attempt to escape, as it became ever more difficult, was the last thing this person ever felt, save for this;

For a split second, when you crash a motorcycle, you’re aware. For an awful instant, you know you’re fucked.

And that was how this person left this world.