Six weeks into my out-season training and on the cusp of kicking off 2013 for IM Oceanside, my pans got rearranged. I was out on group ride with a few dozen people from my Tri Club, the Pasadena Tri Cub, when I quite literally crashed myself.
I was out in front and we made a simple left turn onto a big street. There were two lanes in each direction with a wide median. After the turn, I looked up to the see the Glendora city limit sign right in front of me. I had a couple strong guys on each side of me and thought "let me see if i can surprise these guys by jumping on the gas and stealing the sprint points". These are points purely in my mind. To my knowledge, nobody but me knows we are racing.
I jump out of the saddle to nail it at the same instant I go from having my hands on the bars near the stem to grabbing for the hoods. Timing was terrible. Suddenly, I am jumping out of the saddle while at the same time not holding on to the bars. The front wheel jumps to the right just as my right hand dives for and misses the right hood.
I go sailing over the bars leading with my left shouler and head. My shoulder hits first and I hear "CRUNCH". Then my helmet goes "WACK". My first thought, while sliding on asphalt, was "thank god for this helmet". The helmet is now cracked open and road rashed on the whole left side. The bike lands on top of me, lucky for the bike, and I come to a stop on my left side in a heap. I roll onto my back and I know in and instant that my collar bone is broken. I can feel the broken ends moving and noise is still echoing in my head.
At that same instant, I also KNOW that I am a complete goober. I crashed myself! Thank god the peloton scatters and no one else is involved in the wreck causing some kind of pile up. Had that happened, I would have been devestated. As it was, I was only mortified. Embarrassed. Broken. And, bummed. My second thought is what the f@ck will this mean to my out season. What about Ironman?
The third thought, and this is all happenng at lightspeed, is that I must be a really terrible bike handler. I can make decent power, but I must have poor skills. How else can you explain my 2012? This year was one crash breaking a carbon Colnago frame, and second crash laying down my P3 while racing Triathlon in the rain and now this. I can't drive...
Colnago Crash
Aftermath of laying down my P3 in the rain at Santa Barbara
Here is the story in pictures. Lucky for me my TriClub is full of shutter bugs and the event was well documented. Hooray?
Sitting on the curb...
Here I am wondering what went wrong and contemplating vomiting
On my way to the ER. You can my bike in the background also made the trip.
My bike and I resting comfortably with a little pain medicine on board
I was abe to avoid surgery and I am now in week 4 of recovery. Thankfully, I have gotten much better and I am vastly improved, but it is frustrating that things are not moving faster. I am able to ride on the trainer and have a long way to go. I am also running a bit.
The road to Ironman Coeur d'Arlene in June starts from here.