Been a long time...

...since I've updated much. Well, now since I'm at a conference at Colby College I have a good amount of free time to do useless things like this. OK, here's my attempt at reviewing the last few weeks:

June 7- Balloon Fest Pro/1/2 race:
In a word- awful. This was the weekend where temperatures were >90 degrees, and I hadn't yet done any riding in heat like that. Also, I hadn't raced since Dartmouth, which was a little over a month prior. You can train all you want, but you can't fake race fitness...which can only come from racing.

Matt and I stayed at a lovely Motel6 the night before and got to the race with plenty of time to spare...but I still didn't get any kind of a warm up. Big mistake, I would later figure. Even the most casual readers of this blog will note my constant complaints about lack of warm up, and my failure to do anything to remedy it.

Despite the seemingly low importance of this race, all the big names of northeast cycling were out to ride. This included much of the CCB/VW team and also a lot of Fiordifrutta. Ugh. Right out of the start the riders at the front were turning the screws on some of the short, tough climbs and this made my legs hurt pretty badly. I fell off the rear for a bit, but chased back on without too much issue. However, as we came to the significant climb on course, I found myself fighting to keep from drifting back in the field (starting at the rear also didn't help matters). For whatever reason (I'll blame the heat) I couldn't make myself get to that point where I could hurt enough to stay in contact. The result- I was dropped on a climb, for probably the first time ever. Interesting that it should correspond to the first pro/1/2 race I do...

At this point I was pretty annoyed with myself and considered dropping out. Then I remembered that I paid for a hotel room, gas, race fees, etc. and that I shouldn't go down that easily. Note that it wasn't a matter of pride...it was a financial reason that kept me racing. I grouped up with one other guy from the Kenda/Raleigh team who met a similar fate on the climb. I pulled a majority of the time and we kept the gap to the field pretty constant. At times they were rather strung out- usually good evidence that someone was driving the pace pretty damn hard. Also, we began to pick up a couple riders who were also dropped ahead of us. They were good for one or two pulls before we left them behind as well. Finally, as we came off the descending section the field widened and coalesced again- this was it...we can catch back! We pulled to within probably 50m when things got bad...

At this point, a non-race vehicle had entered the gap between the rear of the field and us. Someone in the peloton flatted and pulled to the right. Naturally the wheel truck stopped to assist, pulling to the shoulder. Unsure of what to do, the random car directly in front of us stopped abruptly right along the yellow line. Decision time- do we go between the cars or go over the yellow line, into oncoming traffic? Given the time in which this happened, coupled with our speed of >30mph, this decision had to be made fast...and rather poorly.

I was in the process of pulling through when we both had mixed reactions to the situation upon us...we each decided to go the opposite way, we hooked handlebars, and hit the pavement. Well, I did. I was on the bottom of a me/bike/bike/other guy pile as we slid into the oncoming lane of traffic. In retrospect, I'm thankful we didn't get hit by any cars going the opposite way. And I'm also thankful I didn't hit my head in the process.

The slide was long enough that I recall having to time to reflect on the general unpleasantness of the situation. I began to think about what my leg would look like when all was said and done (pictures will come soon) and what would become of the season. As much as a I tried to reorient, the weight on top of me kept me in a pretty helpless position. Finally we ground to a halt.

The other guy seemed pretty much unscathed since he was effectively sitting on top of me and two bikes during the slide. I remarked that this was end of today for me. In a way, it was a mixed blessing because it saved me from another couple hours of riding pain...if I could even last that long. As for the damage survey- road rash on my left leg/hip, torn shorts, scuffed jersey, broken rear skewer, dented top tube. Based on the dent, I wonder if a carbon frame would have survived.

The wheel car guy picked me up and remarked that we should be more careful riding around the cars when we're chasing back on. Good, obvious advice. After getting dropped off, I spent the remainder of the day being the center of attention near the finish line and medical tent. Yep...that guy. Then I spent the next few days with oozing sores, painful showers, and uncomfortable sleeping. Oh yeah, and stabbing pains in my calf whenever I moved around.

A few days following the crash, I began to suspect infection as my lower leg swelled to the point that I could not see my ankle (see: cankle). I debated getting it treated for a day of so before I went to the ER. I considered the possibility that it may just be lymph draining. The doctor didn't seem too concerned, but decided to err on the side of caution and wrote a prescription for some antibiotics. I am beyond any doubt that they were desperately needed. Within a day of starting the course, the swelling was almost gone and the wounds were healing up much better. As of now, only the scabs on my lower leg remain, the other regions leaving only reddish scarring, which I can show off with pride to some and embarrassment to others (others = other cyclists).

Soon to come- race reports from last weekends races at Cyclonauts and Housatonic Hills. Then this past weekend's exploits in Lake Placid at the Wilmington-Whiteface race. Spoiler alert- two podium finishes!