Voting Time! Paying it Forward Po Campo Giveaway

UPDATE: I have been informed that some Internet Explorer users are unable to see the poll listed in this post. There are five entries up for vote, so if you do not see the poll, please feel free to leave your vote in comments and it will still be counted. The choices are:  Cecily, Leila, Amy, Michele and Nanda (three stories listed here, and two as prior posts). You are free to vote anonymously as well. Thanks.
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It's time to vote for your favorite entry in the Paying it Forward Po Campo giveaway! Because I couldn't decide among these entries, I've decided to leave it up to the voting public (or I suppose, visitors to the blog). You can vote for more than one entry, should you choose. If you haven't already, please take the time to read each of the stories (none are long, and each were quite concise in their tale, so it's a quick read). Voting will be counted through Saturday, August 20, 2011 - so spread the word and definitely vote for your favorite story.


Cecily's story:

"Last summer, I was riding home on the slight uphill to my apartment. I was merrily granny gearing along when I came upon some shattered glass. As I swerved to try to avoid it, my chain came off the chain ring.


Now, being a newbie, I was having a devil of a time trying to get the chain back on. Lots and lots of cyclists passed me by, but one guy who was on a road bike, in head to toe lycra, stopped to help me put my chain back on.


It was such a small thing, but it was meaningful, especially when you consider about ten other cyclists rode right past me, even though it was obvious I needed help."


Leila's story:
"A few months ago, I decided to take a little bike ride around my neighborhood. I hopped on my vintage 60s CCM Catalina only to find the front tire was totally flat. So I grabbed another bike and hit the road. Unfortunately my hem had torn and wrapped itself around my pedal arm, causing it to seize. I braked and tried to get off the bike but my foot was stuck and I ended up falling, really un-elegantly into the gutter. I wasn't hurt (unless you count pride!), but a car driver stopped and helped me get back on and made sure the traffic wasn't going to hit me while I was down. I thought it was a really nice gesture."


Amy's story:
"Last week, I got clipped by a car making a right turn into a parking garage. The car's rear end pushed me into a large traffic cone. It was my first time making physical contact with a car. In my shock, I didn't scream or hit the car. IT also happened at a relatively slow speed and when the car contacted my handlebars and my front brake arm (nto to mention my own arm!) there was a metallic clang of metal on metal. I instinctively turned my handlebars in the direction of the car and ended up pushed against a traffic cone. The car intended to continue without stopping, if it wasn't for another driver coming out of the garage who witnessed the accident. He proceeded to scream at her: "Hey you just hit that girl! [pause] You should at least say you're sorry." I only heard his side of the story since he was yelling. She didn't get out of her car or even roll down the window to apologize. When it became clear that she wasn't going to apologize, the other driver threw up his hands in exasperation: "Just go then!" He asked me several times if I was okay before we both took off on our separate ways. I really appreciated his help even though I wasn't injured and my bike wasn't damaged. I was in complete disbelief at getting swiped like that. I was so shaky when I got to my destination that a waiter there asked if I was alright. I would like to think the other driver thought she hit a traffic cone, but she had to pass me to make the right turn and didn't bother to check if she hit me. This was a case of a good driver/bad driver."


Thank you so much to all the participants! It's been fun to read your stories, and I look forward to sending off a lovely and functional pannier to one of you in the near future. Have a great week, and don't forget to vote.