As I write this, I am still in a state of disbelief as to what caused me to drop out of the AZT300. The sideways sleet of Saturday morning was brutal and I've never been so cold in my entire life, but that unfortunately was not the thing that ended it for me. It was a guy in a pickup truck that felt the need to take a corner far too tight, where my bike happen to be laying, on the shoulder of the road. I turned around, only to see him drive over both wheels and crank arm bending them far beyond repair.
I was truly ready for this race...I had the fitness, I'd done hours and hours of planning. I knew once I got over Mt. Lemmon, the finish line was 100 miles of trail I'd rode before; not that it's easy, but I knew what to expect.
So, today, I'll survey the damage to the bike. Hopefully the frame is ok and I can be back riding the mtb within a week or so.
This is unbelievable! I'm pretty crushed for you too. So much effort and dedication invested just for some knob in a truck to run over your bike. I've heard anything can happen, but this is ridiculous. Everyone has the right to fail by their own hand! Keep at it. With the strong field this year, I could still see you top 5, so next year is a no brainer. I sure hope the bike survives. It is no fun being without. Keep your head up.
ReplyDeleteYou may not have crossed the finish line, or had the weather that you'd hoped for (good god some of those guys were going to sleep in a bivy without a bag...) but you have it a hell of an effort. Those hours of planning no doubt served you well, but some shit you just can't plan for.
ReplyDeletebtw - you had mentioned to me that you had blisters on your feet from all the hike a bike - are the Pearl Izumi X-Alp's not as great a HAB shoe as you had hoped?
Dang man...that really sucks. I hope you can get your bike back together with minimal cost. At least the frame isn't trashed.
ReplyDeleteBut look at it this way -- you could have been riding the bike when the pickup rounded the corner...at which point the end result would have been much worse. I know it sucks to be out of the race...but that's better than being in the hospital.