Crash

Had a ride and a crash for lunch today...

11:47 am - booked down to the locker room at work.

11:49 am- realized that I grabbed the wrong damn HRM strap, this tempo ride will be totally on feel rather than hard data.

11:52 am- changed and out the door.

11:55 am - head south on 79th up this grind that usually doesn't feel
remotely this good.

12:00 noon - this is gonna be one good ride...legs feel great.

12:20 pm - a BMC rider blows by me like I am parked, even though I am holding a solid 16 mph on that wickedly annoying 2% grade on the way out of Boulder on Hwy 36 towards Lyons.

12:31 pm - over the two short climbs on Hwy 36...grooving, hammering even a little...empty head lead to random thoughts on remembering this gear ratio for the Long Course. I look down. Big ring, 3rd cog down in the back...I re-check.

12:32 pm - my front wheel gets stuck on a rut just off the shoulder. In aero. No brakes. No control. Off the road. Over the handlebars. Off the embankment. Slow motion-ish. 15 feet down. Thud. On to my left shoulder and hip...and here comes the bike. Landed right beside me. Phew.

12:32 pm still - laying on my back. Breathing. Assessing. Breathing more. F&%k , that was scary! I get up, drag myself and my bike up the embankment. As I reach the top, a lady in a car had stopped to see if I was OK...she saw it all happen...thanks for stopping.

12:33 pm - a rider stops to lend a hand and an allen wrench, as my handlebars are torqued... come to find out it was a guy named Andrew Bajadali, a pro who I'd watched kick some serious ass climbing a stage at the Tour of Georgia a few years back...thanks man

12:38 pm - trying to control my incessant shaking, I hand back the wrench, check my wheels, chain etc...as suggested and saddle up.

1:45 pm - 16 miles later, 26 for the day I get back to work.

1:50 pm - no freakin' towel...I took it home on Friday to wash it. No shower...Ugh.

2:05 pm - lost the last 15 minutes somewhere...trying to clean myself up...5 minutes late to a meeting.

2:10 pm - picking little wheat thingies out of my hair in the meeting and for the balance of the day.

So there you have it...the official accident report...I am OK, bike is OK!

Things I lost today:

• 2 water bottles
• Bike tool
• Skin on shoulder and leg
• Blood
• Pride

Things I gained today:

• Learned the exact gear ratio I will use in the Long Course on that stretch of road
• Clearer understanding of how important it is to not lose focus while riding, ever...
• Sore back, shoulder and hip
• Bruises
• New and more aerodynamic bike position after cranking my handlebars and flying over them

RIDE SAFE!