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…
