Got my new 29er single speed all built up and ready to go.  More on that one later once I get some pictures.  Anyway, I got everything built up on Sunday night so Monday was the day.  I had planned out about 2 hours of pedaling and all was going according to plan up to about an hour in the ride.  The legs felt great, but my arse was a little tender, but everything was going well.  That is until my new rigid fork (yes, first time I have ridden a rigid fork in quite some time) dug into a big mud puddle and sent me flying over the bars.  So there I was supermanning over the bars and hit the mud face first, sliding in it.  Not only did I land face first, I also got both hands stuck in the mud up to my elbows.  Great, just what I needed, more mud.   I got up and the first thought that went through my head was “Shit, I think I broke my collarbone.”  As I stood there trying to get my cell phone out of my pocket to call kelly to come get me, I just sat down and took a little break.  After a few minutes, I realized things weren’t broken and the initial shock was wearing off..  I got up, grabbed the bike and took the shortest path home.

Today I am taking a day off.  The legs don’t need it, but the mind and arm does.  I am not “afraid” to ride the bike, but I decided that it was best to clear my mind before I head out again.  Plus, now I get to sit at home, on the deck, drinking beer all night.  I think I made the right call on what to do.

I have made some decisions about my stellar racing career.  I am going to try and race the MillStone Grind race on Sept 7th, mostly because it is dirt cheap and I convinced the organizer to allow the single speeds to run the 35 miles instead of 17.  This will get me some good prep and put me in a good spot to race the Bradbury 12 race coming up Sept 20, 2 days before I head to Interbike.  I figure there is nothing better for standing around on concrete for 9 hours a day, 4 days straight than racing a 12 hour race right before you leave.  Why not??  I might be able to pull the “Michelin Card” and allow me to cut down on the already super low entry fees…