Crash and Burn

After seeing so many crashes this year at just about every race, I knew that it was inevitable that my time would eventually come. My team has already lost a couple riders this year from crashes which have thinned our team down to only 9 available riders going into Philly. My form has been pretty decent lately, so I ended up being slated on the rosters for every race leading up to and during Philly week.

Yesterday was the CSC Invitational crit, which was a race that I was originally going to sit out. I started the race feeling a little fried from all the traveling and racing we've been doing, along with two nights in a row of bad sleep. I felt ok in the race, but probably the worst that I've felt since I've been out here. The race was extremely fast from the gun. I started in the very back once again, so it took me a few laps to get near the front. I rode somewhere in the top third of the field for the whole time I was in the race, but found it extremely difficult to move up since the field was totally strung out for about 90% of the race. The pace let up enough only a few times to move up to the front. At some point in the middle of the race around the final corner (corner 5) the field was pushed a little to far to the outside which caused a rider about four guys up from me to slam into the barriers. My teammate Wes slammed into him, blowing his bike to pieces; I was then pushed into the barriers. It happened so fast that I don't exactly remember how it happened, but I went face first into the barrier and put a deep gash in my chin, that's now got 18 stitches in it, and I also chipped my tooth.

I got to spend the next few hours in the hospital, mostly in the waiting room, in the company of all the other cyclists that went down in the multitude of crashes. For a flat crit, with only five corners, I can't believe how sketchy it was (especially corner five and the metal barriers!!). Even more unbelievable, only 25 guys finished from the original 150 that started! I pretty glad to be done with crits for a while, and doing road races and stages races instead. Other than my messed up face, the rest of me is ok, just slightly sore.

Wes and I made it up to Lancaster that night, and the neighbors of our host family were having a big ol' BBQ. We were over there immediately after stepping out of the car eating burgers and cookies, drinking some brews and mingling with the locals.

Wes's competitive side came out in full force when he took on a bunch of eight-year olds in tug-of-war... they kicked his ass.

I'm going to sit out Lancaster today and rest up all week so that I'm fresh for Reading on Thursday, and Philly on Saturday. I'm a little bummed that I'll miss it, but I think it's for the best.