The summer I was 11, all the bored neighborhood kids decided to play a game of chicken with our bikes. We raced down a narrow ramp that ended at a huge concrete wall, to see who could speed the farthest without braking.

When it was my turn, I hopped on my hot pink Stingray with the banana seat and pedaled for all I was worth. I accidentally hit the wall at full speed, the rear tire flew up behind me and I was smashed flat against the wall like a bug. When the rear tire came back down and I could breathe again, I looked up to all the horrified faces and grunted “I won”, then got back on my bike and casually pedaled away until nobody could see me crying and bleeding all the way home.