After a bad start I recovered by making a wholesale pass of like 15 dudes by the 3rd corner and moved all the way into 3rd place, but I'm wishing now that I'd just shot past J.S. right then too because as soon as we entered the forest he let R.S. open up a huge gap. I realized that I wasn't going to be able to get around him and I yelled "Go!", and then watched in frustration as the gap widened as I couldn't find a spot to pass. Finally I took a line into the weeds on the right, and unfortunately I had to chop JS down as I cut back onto the trail -- I heard him cussing me, but I gassed it anyway as I could see R up ahead. I sprinted on every straightaway to catch up and had to take some risks, but not sure how many corners later it happened but I was closing the gap fast ahead and opening up a gap behind me. I must have over-leaned into the counter-steer and my right shoulder clipped a tree which sent me spiraling into the shrubbery. I remember jumping up so completely disoriented that I couldn't find my bike until I saw a line of a dozen riders whip past and they clued me in to where my bike should still lay. My bars and shifters were twisted and by the time I could get back onto the bike another 5 or 6 riders had past. First run-up I felt a shot of pain in my shoulder as I hoisted the bike and then I set it down right on top of the stinger in my shoulder, ouch. Swapping bikes at the pits I lost another couple places, and although I was able to keep passing dudes my laps were numbered as the pain in my shoulder overtook my priorities and I just couldn't get serious about pushing the pace. I pulled out and grabbed a beer from the cooler and a brat from the grill before any of my teammates even noticed I'd quit. Quitter.
Pushing my bike up the climb, the shoulder still a bit tender at this point.
Mandie stopped by last night and after dinner and a couple beers she diagnosed my injury as a AC shoulder joint bruise, not good considering my race goals but certainly much better than it could have been. A few more centimeters of shoulder contact with that Fir would have surely spelled dislocation and/or breakage, a season ending injury. The prognosis isn't necessarily great for this weekend and frankly, I have been exploring the possibility of canceling my trip to Kentucky this weekend, but I'm now leaning towards going and coping. Worst case scenario I have a fun little vacation and get lots of 3D photos of a National level race.
This morning I'm wrecked. The IBU's and the beers had wore off and my whole body was racked with a deep feeling of sickness. It feels sorry for itself, the poor bastard. And now another week or two of shitty training, damn that tree.
No comments:
Post a Comment