Crash & Burn

Well it was a pretty crazy day of racing! Not my best. We had the biggest division of the year with 10 guys in our class. I tried to not get to excited as we waited to start! A couple of dudes took off like rockets but like always, they fizzled within the first 4 minutes. One of the new guys took a pretty good lead on the paved road climb. We very quickly caught slower traffic and that was the beginning of the end for me! I passed as many as I could before the first descent, but three of us Clydesdales were riding the rear wheels of two brake happy old guys! As we started down the first steep sandy drop I chose the quicker line behind Rory and all of a sudden I hear him screaming at the guy in front of him! It surprised me enough to look up and when I did I spilled over the bars but landed on my feet. As I was picking up my bike I heard him actually apologize to the guy! It was classic. I quickly caught back up and made the mistake of deciding to follow them up the big backside climb.
I should have passed them here but I did not. This will probably be my biggest learning experience as of yet! As I followed them down the quick single-track I newwhere I would pass if all worked out. I also knew that if I passed right before the switchback climbs, I would be able to pull away and stomp towards my 43 minute lap!
Well my friends, as we made the final descent between the two large trees, they went left, I went right....right over my handlebars head first into the ground! I remember my right foot coming out of the peddle as I was somersaulting down the hill connected to my bike. As I came to a stop I felt like there was going to be no skin left on my legs and right arm. With the initial glance, it didn't look to bad, so I quickly turned my attention to my bike. The chain had come off the outside and even out of the rear derailleur. I got it on as fast as possible and jumped back in the saddle. I tried not to look down at my body but rather focused my attention ahead to where my class had gone. I do not know how long I was down, but I saw Rory and another rider starting the descent after the switchbacks. I thought that I may be able to catch them and powered up the switchbacks as hard as I could. I had to pass a couple slower guys as I descended but I thought I was making up ground.
As I crossed the finish line in fourth place every bit of fear, emotion, and pain hit me like a Mac Truck! I kid you not that my first thought was, I have to wait two freaking weeks to race again! Phooey! Then I felt some pain in my wrists, shoulder and head. My legs looked like rarely cooked hamburger! My wife would later tell me that she wondered if I crashed or got in a fight with a razor! Rory and Jen were great moral support as I tried to think thru the crash. I still am not exactly sure what caused me to go down, but it was the same descent that Josh Smith had knocked himself out on two weeks prior.(detailed in last race report)
So did I learn anything? I definitely should have passed as early as possible. Wanting to take it a little easier on the climbs forced me to ride at their pace which was much slower in a couple of key areas. I think that I have figured out that my body has more, even when it is telling me that it needs a rest. I also thought that I had a great week training, yet not riding on Friday may have kept me a little too stiff.
I have been pounding away the miles this week. I tried to ride thru the stiffness Sunday-Tuesday. It was a little rough, but come Wednesday, I was feeling pretty good. Today (Thursday 15Th March) I took a great road ride! I rode from my house down Kanan past the freeway and continued on Kanan towards the beach. I rode up Kanan until I turned right on Muhlholland, took Muhlholland to Decker Canyon, down Decker into Westlake. I then took two loops around the lake on Triunfo Canyon, then down Agoura Road to Chesebro. Chesebro back to Kanan, and up Kanan to home! Whew! 37.5 miles in around 2 and a half hours. Climbing Kanan to Muhlholland was a grind. I think it was about a good five mile climb. Not the steepest, but long steady climbing. I finished the ride averaging about 15 MPH which I was somewhat happy with!
I was using my Hammer Sustained Energy, and 1 packet of Hammer Gel, with plenty of water. I went thru one bottle of Sustained Energy and I can tell the difference very much. I could have used two bottles, but I was out! Bummer is, my new delivery was dropped off while I was gone! I know that their Recoverite is helping me recover very quickly. I have been truly amazed with this system. Their information and resources on their site has been invaluable as well! I recommend checking it out! Let me know what you find, I would love to hear any thoughts.
Peace
Lucas