1^st place Vultures Knob Groovy Series #2

I have always been carless about having bar plugs on my bike, but I am now converted. My front wheel became stuck in a rut and I crashed at my max speed for the course, 31.5 mph. In the fray, the bar punched me right in the throat. Thankfully, it just hurt. I can only imagine the gore of being core sampled like a potato when it’s been stabbed with a straw.

This also makes me think that I will try holding on to the bars for a little longer the next time that I have a big crash. In the past, I have always let go early to try escaping the fray. Depending on the situation, it might be a good idea to try riding out the crash. By hanging on to it a little better, I could probably put the bike between the ground and myself. This is something to consider if the bike is going down sideways, but I am still going to bail out in a front-end collision.

In other news, while at the race I won a pair of custom carbon fiber insoles that are supposed to increase my power transfer. I will let you know how they work when they arrive.

The race was about 26 miles long and I had not seen anyone for the last 8 miles. When at the top of a short climb, I looked back and saw the second place rider coming through the trees only 15 seconds behind me. Panicking a bit, I immediately started riding harder and planning the rest of the race. My computer said we were 5 miles from the finish. This is the first time that I have raced the person in second place, but he already came with a reputation and a resume including one of the hardest races in PA.

At this point in the race, I had just finished consuming the last of my food and water making this the perfect time to take the pace to the next level. It was really the only option, because I sure as hell didn’t want to loose a sprint to the finish against a strong roadie. I started to ride as hard as I could from that point on. If I could at least keep the 15 second lead, that might be enough for me to win the sprint at the end. All of my gauges and sensors were firmly pegged in the red zone and my jaw ached a bit, which only happens when I ride hard.

At the end of the race, I watched my back as I climbed the final hill and covered the remaining yards to the finish line.  I thought for sure that he had been working just as hard as I had and that this was going to be an all out battle, but he wasn’t there. All of the paranoid scenarios that had played out in my head during the last miles could now go back into hiding. From that point in the race 5 miles earlier where I had seen him to the finish, I was able to put a 2-minute lead on him. What a relief.