vO m

Navidson tries to stop, hammering down on the brakes, rubber pads failing to hold the wheels, shrieking, even though he is still seconds before the pale light thrown by the bike lamp will finally catch sight of the end. "At that point I just yanked my bike to the ground," he says, pointing the video camera at his left thigh. "My leg's pretty torn up. Still bleeding a little. The trailer's completely wrecked. I think that's what finally stopped me. I slid right to the edge. My legs were hanging over. And I could feel it too. I don't know how. There was no wind, no sound, no change of temperature. There was just this terrible emptiness reaching up for me."