Posts Tagged ‘racing’

I’m racing this Sunday.  It crept up on me a bit because I knew the race was the first Sunday in March, but I forgot that February is a short month and March begins on Sunday.  This race will be the first of the Banana Belts, a series of 3 races on the loop around Haag Lake to the Southwest of Forest Grove, Oregon.  The bike is currently in winter mode, but will be undergoing some maintenance and adjustments to be race-ready in the next several days.

This race is particularly notable for me not only because it’s my first of the year, but because it’s a one year anniversary.  More on that later.  In general, something interesting ALWAYS happens in the Banana Belts.  It’s the site of my biggest win, my dumbest showing off, and my worst crash (all in various different races over the past several years).

Three years ago, I had plans to attack off the front of the race in the last lap with friend and then teammate Scott Jones.  He wasn’t feeling it, so I rolled casually off the front of the race across the dam, and then attacked with everything I had at the base of the hill that followed.  I managed to solo in the last 8 miles of the race for the win after building up a minute lead on the field.  Now that’s a great feeling.

Two years ago, I was feeling really strong and spent the majority of the race attacking off the front of the field, just waiting for someone to come along.  I’d allow myself to almost get caught, then attack again.  I finally drifted back into the pack and was ready to go again when I flatted.  Race over.  Figures.

Then, last year – this same race one year ago.  For some background, there’s one corner on the course when going clockwise that comes off a downhill into a sharp 100+ degree corner that’s off-camber (slanted against the direction of the turn) that leads onto a dam.  It’s a beast, and has aptly been dubbed the “damn” corner.  I’ve always been a confident descender and comfortable cornering, so laps 2 and 3 I was a the front of the field taking the corner at high speed.  I was feeling confident going into the final lap and used the corner as a way to try to get away from the field to see if I could somehow manage to win the race.

I hit the corner maybe 50 yards ahead of the field and things were going according to plan until my rear wheel started hopping.  I got it back under control and had the corner made until the hopping started again, due to what I found later was a wheel failure.  Two seconds to react – probably 35 MPH headed straight at a guardrail.  I downed myself at the last possible moment, and remember very well my body’s reaction to the large force exerted on it – the adrenaline just froze my body up for a good 10 seconds.  I get back up and can’t find anything particularly wrong, other than that I hurt everywhere.   Race officials seem amazed I’m standing.  I’m incredibly frustrated with myself and just want to finish the race.  I’m allowed to get back on my bike and finish, but only after medical checks me over.  I finish the race and still manage to beat a fair number of racers somehow.

After the race.  Something isn’t right, but I can’t quite figure out what.

Three days later, the pain in my hand has not gone away, and I go to a doctor to confirm that it is indeed broken.  That’s mostly all that’s wrong though.  A nice bruise and swelling on my thigh.  Almost no road rash.  Apparently I’ve learned to crash well, considering how bad it could have been.

So that really hindered my racing aspirations for my last year of collegiate racing, which basically ended up not happening.  I wasn’t completely down and out though.  I could still fit the aerobars pretty well with a splint on my hand:

But other than time trialing, normal racing and even normal riding/reaching the brakes just didn’t happen.

Looking back, I’m glad things turned out the way they did, as the series of events that made up my spring into summer eventually resulted in the 6 month marketing tour that has to have been one of the highlights of my life.

But now, it’s back to racing.  One year later, I’m going to show that corner who is boss.