(Jamaica Observer) Cycling sensation Shellysha McCarthy, who was all over social media last October for her unconventional mode of transportation to and from work, and even reportedly attracted marriage proposals for her cycling prowess, is now laid up at home as a result of a mishap with a male motorcyclist.
McCarthy was inadvertently, or intentionally – she is not sure which – dislodged from her bicycle as she rode along Chelsea Avenue in New Kingston on Monday, making her way back to work after running errands.
“I don’t know if it was purposeful or not… he saw it as funny, (but) it’s foolish behaviour,” she told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.
The 40-year-old secretary, who captured the media spotlight for pedalling her way to and from her job in the Corporate Area, complete in pencil skirts and stylish heels, said the motorcyclist struck up a conversation as he rode alongside her.
Then things got out of hand. “He was riding and talking to me, making small talk. Then, I don’t know what possessed him, he put his hand on my lower back and started pushing me. I told him to stop, because it was very dangerous,” she said.
She added that the motorcyclist failed to heed her warnings. “I don’t know if his bike came too close to me or what, it spin me and throw me off the bicycle. A car almost run over me, but God was in the midst,” she explained.
McCarthy said she suffered injuries to her hand and shoulder, along with significant bruising, but her helmet saved her from serious injury to her head, which she bumped on the asphalt after falling from her bicycle.
Now she is at home nursing her injuries, but hopes to be able to return to work soon. She may have to figure out another mode of transportation as her beloved bicycle was destroyed during the incident.
McCarthy said the motorcyclist has promised to replace her $150,000 bicycle, but she is sceptical as he has been hesitant about compensating her for medical bills incurred as a result of their encounter.
Despite her tarmac tumble, McCarthy is unperturbed and has no intention of giving up her pedalling ways. She told the Observer that she refuses to be discouraged by the incident and, having cycled to work for the past seven months, she definitely plans to continue.
The pedal cyclist noted that when her story first came to light last year there were vague promises of a motor vehicle, but she is not banking on the genuineness of those promises.
For now, her aim is to recover from her injuries and return to doing one of the things she enjoys most – riding.