I am now "
that guy"..
Yep, there is usually one in every race, "that guy' is the one that hits the bollard at 45 km/hr+ and smashes his body/bike senseless.
I would take a guess that I was around 3 minutes into a 24 hour race, in-fact I wasn't even on the course for the race, just the prologue lap. I had a great start, sitting very comfortable in 4th wheel and feeling great. We were flying around the course, and we flicked right onto a walking path, that was straight for around 400 meters.
All I can remember is I was sitting in 5th place, in a very strong paceline and moving very quick. All of a sudden the front guys dove left and right, there was a very slight hesitation from the rider in front of me, and before I knew it I was staring straight at a 60cm high thick wooden bollard in the middle of the track.
I remember NOTHING, and vaguely remember staring at the marshalls that SHOULD have been making said bollard aware that it was in-fact there. No marking, no caution.....just a bloody bollard in the middle of a race course.
My bike is a mess, with its rear wheel axle now ripped through the hub body. Carbon bars need to be replaced. Cranks might need to be replaced. Rear derailer is smashed up as well.
My body is even worse. Knees now bandaged. Hands smashed. Left foot bruised/smashed. Shoulder is a swollen heap, and I can't really move my left arm. Skin missing from my left shoulder down to my left bottom. All with a lovely bump on my head. Best of all, it hurts to breathe.
My helmet is split, and I can never thank it enough. In-fact I think I will mount it on a shrine.
The only good thing regarding me hitting this bollard at full whack, is it meant that I saved someone else from hitting it, as I was just the very first rider (#5) to come through. I have no doubt that a rider would have gone down. The marshalls that were just watching my crash unfold quickly realised there error and manned the bollard straight away, but I think my body/bike covering the path in a small part helped slow the traffic down so no-one else hit it.
Whats worse and annoys me the most, is these marshalls had only moments before my crash said to one another they should be marshaling it. Sure, I should have seen it, but have you ever raced flat out in a paceline. I admit the guys in front didn't really slow and point "bollard' out, but the truth is only the very first guy knew it was there, the rest of us were riding blind.
I now have the fantastic pleasure of having the best form of my year spent on the couch for a couple of weeks. Sorry for the whinge, but I am struggling to remain positive after this crash.
LESSON LEARNT. I guess.
Over n Out....for a long while.
Rhino
Well, I do promise to wrote again, I always enjoyed blogging. However, the move to the country has also meant getting Internet access is a wee-bit of a issue. No matter.
Also, have ridden the Dalby World Cup course both during the night and during the day. During the night is fine, you just follow your path of light and bump along. During the day, the true technical nature of the course hits you, as I saw all the "black" lines that were included for the race. Sure they saved some time, but the risk was high. A true XC course, almost has me thinking about having a dedicated XC season maybe.
My poor beloved YETI is tired. I don't think there is much that hasn't been replaced, re-built or on its last legs. The frame however is still smashing along fine, although there are now alot more dints, scars and paint chips from when it was new. I will not ever get rid of this frame now, it has been part of my daily life now for the whole time over here, its my work horse.
Endless 30km section of singletrack, and boy were my arms sore at the end!
I turned a corner and was fronted with this amazing bit of downhill track, it caught me by suprise but by the time I pointed my front wheel down I was commited.
Another 'skull' black diamond section. A rock wall downhill. It was slightly wet and I rolled to the top of it twice, before 'zipping my man-suit up' and rolling down. Once at the bottom I was giggling and rode it again, but on this time things got a little sketchy halfway down and I was lucky not to leave vast amounts of skin on the rock.
The 7 Stanes has an even amount of technical uphill as it does downhill.
Come accross a few of these signs, and as I have been riding by myself, I have to take it a little easier. So I usualy scout the area first, and then ride as hard as I can. With no mobile service at these places, and I was riding during the week when no one was there, I am not sure what I would have done if 'something' had gone wrong.
Yes, this was a 'singletrack' section....
I have to say, riding by myself has been good. Not in a hurry to push hard, and if I liked a section I would re-ride it. Lunch was always taken when I was out and about. I got four days straight riding out of my ground effects supertankers, they have been one of the best things I have bought on this trip. 5 years old, and still going strong.
Walking off to the start, it wasn't cold but with a ripping wind I needed a jacket. We camped at the northern most tip of the Island the night before, and the start was a short walk away. Still, but the time I got there, it seemed that the other 1350 riders were already lined up.
The start was amazing, with so many riders filling up a single lane road, if you had your position early there was no real way to push forward. I am not sure how, but I ended up on the 3rd row. Ready to go, and give everything in this race. In my heart, I believed I could win.
The start hits off for around 13km of sealed road, and then turns sharp left and points straight up a steep/long climb. I wanted to get to the climb first, and if I could, have some time up my sleeve to cruise to the top and still be with the leaders. It took some attacking, but around 7km into the race I was alone off the front. Legs were feeling great, and the motorbike camera crew were following me the whole way. The crowds in the small towns I went through all were cheering, and I was smiling. This was going to be a great day.
I would remain chasing all day, I had two more rear punctures, a broken chain and hit my front wheel hard enough on a downhill section to break a few spokes.
In the end I got 1st Overseas rider, 5th in my class and 10th overall. I was pleased that even with a few problems, I could keep it going. It came at a price, with all the chasing/stopping I only drank a single bidon during the race and 2 gels. I think I was running on stress. No matter, it was a great event.
We have 7 guys turn up for the ride, and as the End to End challenge is up on Sunday, the numbers were a bit down as people were tapering. The event here is huge, as bragging rights stay around for a year if you are a local. So everyone is keen to race hard. What was going to be a just a quick ride, slowing got longer as they showed me around the island. The climbs are hard, but the views....well, amazing.
The sun was started to fall, and some 'singletrack' was going to be presented to me to ride. The group split soon, and three of us continued on, taking in the race course for Sunday. Fast, Open, Rocky and headwinds will be my four words to use on Sunday, but that's a whole day away.
Riding on the Isle of Man, and riding along roads that still have all the protective padding on them from the moto TT last weekend was good. Even driving along the roads in the motorhome with the padding made me feel safer.
