After a few beers at a mate's place on Tuesday evening, the 29-year-old thought it would be safer to cycle to his South Dunedin home from St Clair.
That changed after he biked down King Edward St, where he saw a blue car at the intersection of Melbourne St about 9.45pm.
''The driver just didn't stop,'' the man, who declined to be named, said yesterday.
As the driver tried to accelerate past him, the car clipped his bicycle and ''sent me flying''.
He remembers going over the bonnet and his skull smashing the wing mirror with such force the mirror was later found by police near the scene.
The driver of the vehicle briefly stopped before fleeing.
''I came to, I was shocked ... in pain and I just couldn't breathe.''
The man, who was not wearing a cycle helmet, said the only thing going through his mind was his 3-year-old son whom ''I thought I would never see again''.
Witnesses called emergency services, and he was taken by ambulance to Dunedin Hospital.
He suffered several breaks in his spine, lacerations to his legs, and severe bruising to his back and buttocks.
''I am just glad it was me and not a kid.''
The man, who said he would be reluctant to cycle in Dunedin again, had a simple message to the driver: ''I want you off the road.''
Initial reports suggested the car was a blue BMW or a Nissan Primera. However, police took the wing mirror to a car wrecker who identified it as belonging to a Honda Torneo.
Sergeant Damion Rangitutia urged the driver of the vehicle to come forward.
