CRASHING IS NO HOOT

IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL THURSDAY EVENING WITH STEALTH ON THE MECHANIC STAND. IT WAS TIME FOR THE ZIPPS TO BE INSTALLED FOR SATURDAYS RACE IN FERGUS FALLS. I THREW THE RACE WHEELS ON, ADJUSTED THE BRAKES AND ADJUSTED THE REAR DEraileur. I WAS READY TO TAKE THE ROCKET OUT FOR A QUICK 10 mile FLIGHT.

I MADE MY WAY TO THE CENTRAL LAKES TRAIL AND BIKED A GOOD MILE OUT OF TOWN BEFORE PUTTING THE AFTERBURNERS ON. I BIKES ABOUT AS FAST ANS HARD AS I COULD FOR 5 MILES AND TOOK A SHORT 1 MINUTE BREAK BEFORE HEADING HOME. THE RETURN 5 MILES WENT PRETTY SOLID AND I HIT THE 10 MILE MARK BY THE COWDRY BRIDGE ANS STOPPED MY GARMIN WATCH, 23.1 MPH AVERAGE SPEED! I STILL HAD ABOUT 3 MILES TILL I MADE IT HOME AND WAS COOLING DOWN AND GOING THROUGH THE LOW GEARS TO MAKE SURE THE SHIFTING WAS SILKY. THIS IS WHERE THINGS WENT DOWNHILL.

WITH ABOUT 1/4 MILE LEFT ON THE BIKE TRAIL BEFORE I HIT THE OPEN ROADS I MET A GROUP OF KIDS ON SKATEBOARDS. I NOTICED THEM MOVE OVER A LITTLE BIT AND I MOVED TO THE RIGHT AND SLOWED WAY DOWN AND CAME OUT OF THE AERO POSITION. AT THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND, OUT COMES A SKATEBOARD AND THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER IS THE SOUND OF MY CARBON FRAME CRASHING INTO THE PAVEMENT AND MY BODY SLIDING HEAD FIRST INTO THE WEEDS. I was lYiNG THERE NOT REALLY SURE WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND NO IDEA WHAT MY INJURIES WERE. I SOON FOUND A BLOODY RIGHT HAND, blood runniNg down my left arm and a blooDy hiP. Thankfully, no blood coming from mY head!

AS I PEELED MYSELF OUT OF THE WEEDS, I LOOKED BACK AND FOUND STEALTH. BRAKE AND SHIFT LEVER ALL FUNKY, SEAT AND WATER BOTTLE CAGE SCTRATCHED TO HELL AND THE LEFT CRANK WITH SOME ROAD RASH. I HAD NO IDEA HOW BAD THE BIKE WAS AND WASN't SURE IF MY ARM WAS BROKEN.

THE NEXT 36 HOURS WERE SPENT HAVING GRAVEL REMOVED FROM MY ARM, taking pain pills AND NOT BEING ABLE TO SLEEP. I WAS THE FIRST PERSON THROUGH THE DOOR AT JAKE's BIKES ON FRIDAY AND HAD TO GET MY SHIT TOGETHER FOR MY RACE SATURDAY MORNING. I WASN't EVEN SURE I COULD RACE BUT DECIDED TO MAKE IT A RACE MORNING DECISION. I HAD BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THE HOOT LAKE TRIATHLON ALMOST ALL SUMMER!

LONG STORY SHORT, i ENTERED THE WATER WITH AN ARM BANDAGED FROM MY SHOULDER TO FOREARM AND SWAM WAY TO THE LEFT SIDE TO KEEP ANYONE FROM BUMPING INTO ME. AS I LEFT THE WATER AND PEELED THE WETSUIT OFF, i CAN'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN. IT WAS TIME FOR THE BIKE AND I WAS SCARED TO DEATH. I HAD JUST CRASHED, HAD THE BIKE REPAIRED AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME BACK IN THE SADDLE, i DIDN't WANT TO KNOW THE DISCOMFORT LEVEL. MY INJURY WAS LOCATED IN THE EXACT SPOT MY ARM REST ON THE COCKPIT PAD SO I HAD TO ADJUST HOW I RODE STEALTH. I HAD THIS CRAZY STAGGERED ARM POSITION GOING ON.

WHILE I'M NOT THE FASTEST ON THE BIKE, I SLOWLY CHIPPED AWAY AT THE OTHER ATHLETES. I MAYBE PASSED 9 people while being passed by 2, INE OF WHICH WAS JENSEN, A GOOD FRIEND FROM THE FERGUS AREA. WAS GLAD TO SEE HIM OUT THERE COMPETING AS HE's TURNED INTO A BEAST OF A MOUNTAIN BIKER. THE ROLLING HILLS OF FERGUS ALLOWED FOR SOME NICE DECENTS. LIKE 32MPH SPPED DECENTS. TO BE HONEST, I HAD JUST PREVIOUSLY CRASHED 36 hours AGO AND THIS MADE ME ALMOST VOMIT. THAT IN ITSELF WAS A MENTAL WIN FOR THE DAY.

​THE RUN, my favorite part and fOr this day, the least painful! WELL, SORT OF. WHILE THE RUN DIDN'T BRING MUCH PHYSICAL PAIN, iT WAS MORE DISAPPOINTMENT AND EMBARRASSMENT. THERE I WAS ALL BANDAGED UP TRYING TO COMPETE AND KNOWING I SHOULD HAVE HAD A TOP 10 DAY OR AT LEAST A PR WITH ALL THE TRAINING I PUT IN. INSTEAD I WAS THE GUY FULL OF BANDAGES AND BLOODY WOUNDS. I PREFER TO BE KNOWN FOR THE LEVEL I PUSH MYSELF TO OR TO BE SEEN EARNING AGE GROUP AWARDS. HERE AT HOOT, ALL I GOT WAS PEOPLE's sympathy AND LONG LOOKS.

UP NEXT IS MINNEWASKA TRIATHLON THIS SATURDAY. A FUN LOCAL RACE I LIKE TO SUPPORT. THE BODY IS EXHAUSTED FROM TRYING TO HEAL SO WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. AS FOR THE CRASH, let's just say there is an ongoing police investigation taking place right now.

#CRASHINGHURTS #WHATDOESNTKILLYOU #TRIBERACING #WATTIEINKHITSQUAD #JAKESBIKES