1st Crash of ’09…. check

This first month of racing in 2009 for me has been all about just getting those sensations back again, both physical and mental, as I continue my recovery from my brain injury last year.  There have been a lot of little things in my life I’ve had to relearn how to process, and the goings on in a bike race are the difficult and final test.   First it was the feeling of just comfortably moving around in the field, timing when to expend and when to conserve.  Then the feeling of being at the front for the team at in the final kilometers  before a sprint, the high speed jostle for position in the cross wind, the feeling of being really tired but having to go one more gear for a little longer, the feeling of speed in the time trial, and the feeling of a long hard climb to the finish line.  The first time in these situations I would hesitate a bit, but the second time I would remember how I did it before and would be 100 times more confident.   All these things are tough to train for outside of racing, but I’ve felt all of these things now since I began my season,  But the one sensation I wasn’t looking forward to feeling again soon was sliding on pavement.

In the finale of the last stage of the Vuelta Murcia I was bombing down the technical descent to the finish line at the very front of the race.  It was definitely beyond that speed where you really dont want to crash.  The guy in front of me hit some huge bump and he just caught air and flew off his bike.  At 80 kph on his wheel, I of course had nowhere to go but right into him.  Miraculously I came away unscathed but for a sore shoulder.  My jersey and shorts did a remarkable job of pretending to be my skin, so that was a plus.

I’ve had so much emphasis on my thoughts within a bike race, I thought I’d fill you all in on what goes through my head during a crash.

  Im lucky for my ski racing background that taught me how to crash well a long time ago.  In that split second where I  realize Im going down, my instincts kick in.  I think its actually a really cool Zen like moment.  The moment before the crash, this strange totally relaxed calm comes over me and I just let it happen.

But here is the step by step process of my crash instinct:

First, the Oh S*!T moment, then…

Step1)  Find a bail-out route to the side, a-la Lance Armstrong in the tour when Beloki crashed on the descent in front of him and he just went straight down the alpine meadow to the next switchback.  My options in this case were limited to: parked car on the right, parked car on the left.  Neither route sounds good, so I guess I’m going down.

Step 2) Aim for something soft.  Theres usually no big pillows around, but other riders, sliding bikes, grass, and bushes are usually much friendlier than guardrails, lightposts, or parked cars.  I chose to aim for the big soft bike rider already sliding on the road in front of me.  If you can manage to slide on something already sliding that helps ease the transition from bicycle to pavement a little better.

Step 3) Assume the Evil Knievel damage control position.   Tuck the arms and head in like a fetus.

 Step 4) Impact.  I tend to always use the Evil Knievel postion to land on my shoulder, using the shoulder/back muscles and collarbone as an airbag.  I think this is a good point of impact as it saves the head, elbows, knees, wrists, which I imagine would suck a lot worse to land on.  It works great, only broken a collarbone 3 times!

Step 5) Slide, tumble, or roll, depending on terrain

Step 6)  Once I come to a stop, tuck into a really tight ball and cover your head for a few seconds while 150 other riders blow by you or crash on top of you

Step7)  Assessment.  Make sure all body parts attached and functional.  Most important is the collarbone check.  Raise both arms up over the head, i you can do that with no pain or movement, youre good!  I waited until I was back at the finish to do this one, so I had a nervous few minutes hoping my bruised shoulder wasnt broken or anything.  It wasnt, just sore and stiff now!

But I tell you what, other than winning bike races, nothing makes you feel more alive then walking away unscathed from a crash like that.  A shout out to God for that one.

 

Thanks for checking in