Bike Jam...aka...Crash Fest 2011

Well, yesterday was a rough one. The majority of the team headed down to Baltimore for Bike Jam. This has typically been a race that I have really enjoyed. Even though it has a reputation for being crashy and sketchy. Still - I've always felt like I had good legs there and enjoyed it.

Yesterday was a different story. While I still like the course, I have a hard time understanding how this race seems to be jam packed with crashes - that often send folks to local area hospitals.

The race started out fine...Alaina and I did exactly what we were told - went to the front to hold pace for the first lap. As we came up the slight rise to the finish line, we heard it. The sound of carbon on cement and the inevitable tumult of crashing noises that followed. Knowing that we had a total of 9 riders in the field, it was inevitable that at least one of us had gone down in that massive pile-up. Unfortunately, it was Ky - who suffered some pretty severe road rash on the right half of her body and a helmet-crushing slide into the curb. She fared better than my dear friend Cass, who went to the hospital on a stretcher and was later confirmed to have several broken parts (rib and finger), gashes big enough for stitches, and a possible concussion.

A few laps later, we again heard the sound of trouble when a tire blew to the right of me and a domino of riders took me endo-ing over my bars. Oh joy. I have to say, I'm glad we did those tumbling drills early in our training sessions with Mike. Not to be too self-satisfied or anything, but I definitely gave myself a 10 on the style chart for my excellent roll! I came away with a scraped elbow and lots of bruises, but nothing else. Mitch found herself less well-off with some bone bruising and major contusions on her back.

By that point, my impetus to race hard and take chances was pretty low. Still, I took my free lap and got back into the race. We tried to continue our "tactic" for the day - we spent a lot of time at or near the front and trying to keep Arley protected and trying to move her up. But, I was pretty blown. Mentally, emotionally, and physically.

I KNOW that there are individuals out there that could simply ignore the fact that people were hurt. Who only care about themselves and "their" race. But, I am not that person. I couldn't stop myself from thinking about Mitch, Ky, Cass, etc. It took the wind out of my sails at the end of the race. I was happy to finish, but I am far happier to know that my teammates and friends are okay.

The bruises, scrapes and broken bones will heal, we will all go out there and race again (Monday, to be sure), and we will continue to love the bike.