Riding over the Manhattan Bridge late one night. A group of four cyclists rides up ahead of me, and I find myself wondering, given our respective speeds, if I will overtake them. But I notice something is off in the way they’re riding. One cyclist in particular seems to be weaving back and forth. Then, quite suddenly, he flips over the end of his bicycle, which bounces helter-skelter across the bike path. The other riders in his group stop, and I slow down as I approach. A woman has set her bike against the fence and is kneeling down next to the man. The other two riders – both young men – have stopped some distance away, and stand there gaping, unsure of what to do. I set my bike aside and approach the woman. She’s yelling the fallen rider’s name over and over, ‘Chris! Chris! Look at me! Chris!’ The man is rolling his head back and forth moaning. He tries to stand up. I can see now that he’s bleeding profusely from the face. ‘Do you need help?’ I ask the woman. ‘Yes,’ she says, ‘Can you call an ambulance?’ I do this, and after explaining the somewhat unusual geographical location to the 911 operator, I tell the woman an ambulance is on its way. The young man seems to be more responsive now: he’s muttering to himself, wobbling on his feet as he leans against the fence. The woman starts dabbing his face with a napkin, then hesitating, says, ‘Oh my, I think I’m going to sit down.’ She leans up against the fence for a few minutes – the sight of blood has made her queasy. When she’s regained her composure she explains that the group has been drinking – especially the fallen cyclist, who’s extremely drunk. After a few minutes she gets back up and administers to the man again, asking him if he thinks he needs an ambulance. He doesn’t give a coherent answer, so she turns to me: do I think he needs one? ‘Well…’ I say, ‘I’ve already made the call, so an ambulance is on its way regardless.’ She seems confused by this answer, forgetting she’s already asked me to call 911. When I hear a siren approaching I take leave of the group and pedal the rest of the way over the bridge.