shovelhd

No.

waterrockets 

RX, I hope you get through the healing at a record pace. Crashes suck.

shovel, whassup with CDR? I missed it. I just got back into town, driving nonstop from Beaver Creek to Austin with the family. Good fun skiing.

Homebrew01

Despite CDR's best efforts to run a great race, bad crashes happen, so he probably feels some undeserved guilt on top of everything else going on. He's got a very full plate.

jwible

Missed the CDR details as well. Hope it's not a worst case scenario.

Beaker

Lot's of sad stuff lurking in these pages. Heal up fast Racer Ex, good vibes to the artist-formerly-known-as....

I've been working through a recurrence of a knee problem these last couple of weeks, but a revised fit and some rest seems to have me back on the right track. I lined up for the E5's at Bariani today, and wouldn't you know it, so did the wind. First lap pace started out pretty fast, and yes, with a mile to go to the S/F line, pinggggg, the elastic snapped. Spent some time deluding myself that I might catch on over some rollers, but the minute I took the first corner into the wind, I knew the remainder of the race was going to be a training opportunity. Still, I tried to make the best of riding with power and metered my efforts into the wind - quite useful.

Anyway 30/45. Not what I was looking for, but given everything else that's been happening, I'm thankful for a safe finish.

Grumpy McTrumpy

no, CDR didn't crash. I was involved in the pileup though. I had a clear escape route to the right as I was slowing and slowing, but then a rider hit the deck at 12:00 and I had one choice left: brake and pray.

Turns out I needed a few more meters. File says I scrubbed it down to 5mph before I eventually stoppied and slowly flipped onto the pileup. I made out ok though with just a banged up elbow and calf.

The rider who started the crash did not. I went to assist. I have never seen blood pour out of someone as quickly and it was not easy to be there. (at one point I needed to excuse myself to keep from getting sick)

CDR was very shook up by the whole thing, with good reason. The ambulance came quickly though, and they took him to the hospital nearby. I don't know what happened after that, but he was clearly unconscious the whole time I was there (and I was told he was still out during the ambulance trip)

So they cancelled the rest of the 3/4. I got back on the bike and did the P123 however, wanting to confront the fear demons immediately. That race went off without incident and I finished with the pack (in the back)

chasm54

Another first race report here, I competed in my first ever crit at the weekend at the ridiculous age, for a debutante, of 57. Cat 4 - which is the entry level over here, we don't have a Cat 5. Thirty two riders in the field, 30 minutes plus a lap. Nice and short and suitable for the elderly, I think.

After a lifetime of watching bike racing, being around bike racers, riding in a bunch on the road and so on, nothing should have come as a surprise. It did, though. Tight circuit, too many people vying for too little space on a couple of the bends, just a huge amount going on that demands one's attention and reaction. Nothing but experience is going to make that second nature.

Started off surprisingly fast as lots of people want to be first into the first turn. Settled in towards the back, can handle the pace, very conscious of numbers of people not really holding their line ahead of me. Thinking I need to get more assertive about holding my place in the pack. Thinking too much - even knowing that I am thinking too much - when I should just be acting. As a result I am losing ground through timidity on the tightest turns and wasting energy closing gaps as we exit.

About ten minutes in there's a crash immediately inside me. Three riders down. Still OK, but still working harder than I need to because of over caution. Eventually that takes its toll and a gap opens that I can't close. Ride round the last ten minutes or so in the company of a couple of other stragglers.

Salutary experience. Great fun, though. I'll be back next week.

rkwaki

Just wanted to say congrats to all you first time crit racers (ok road racers as well) - lots to learn and don't worry about guys picking on you here, it's all in good fun, post up and learn all that you can.

substructure

First P/1/2 race:

As soon as the whistle blew the attacks started. And they were relentless. Constantly, you were chasing down the wheel ahead of you and since there were fewer riders in the field it was tougher to hide. The terrain was rolling with a few kicker hills that guys tried to launch off the front. Still everyone gave chase.

It wasn't until halfway through the race that breaks started really forming. I got into a couple and the second one I was in looked promising. But riders weren't pulling through and were falling off the pace so we eventually got pulled back in. Once I was back in the pack I moved back to catch my breath. There I noticed half the damn field missing. So, now it was even harder to hide. Then, no sooner had I settled, another break went up the road. Just my frigging luck too. This one stayed out. I just didn't have the legs to try and jump, then bridge across.

I had a book of 7 matches and they were all gone. I didn't even have enough for the end when another small break got away and we were all just fighting to stay together. In the end I sat up at the sprint and practically limped across for 18th. I was hurting. Somewhere I pulled my left hamstring and I could feel it at just about every pedal stroke (Warm up? Bah. Who needs it?).

All in all, I came out with a positive attitude. Just getting my upgrade to C2 then entering in a tough race and holding on motivates me to keep training, keep trying, and above all warming up before my next race. I mean, come on. I'm in my 40s here. There are several things I need to seriously keep in mind; Train hard, rest harder, and stay loose. Oh ... and take my Geritol.

jwible

Ugh. Hoping for the best. Cuts on the scalp can bleed like mad. Hopefully it was nothing more than that and a concussion.

SalsaPodio

Lindenwood RR Men's A.

Lightning and hail, that turned into rain 9 miles into the first lap of 4 (82 miles total). It was so bad they neutralized the whole race and we just rode the next 12 miles back to the start.

Crit, Men's A
A 3 corner flat course, which doesn't really suit me too well. Got into one break. Didn't work. Made a stupid mistake by taking the inside line with 3 to go and got squeezed in, so I had to chase back on. Took to long to move up and got 13th. Not happy with the finish, but my legs felt pretty good.

waterrockets 

Nice work! Finishing your first is awesome.

+1 I'm sure that's tough on CDR.

grumpy, thanks for the summary

welcome

GirlAnachronism

That's what I heard last night as well.

I was also in that race and missed the pile-up by a few feet. Things did not look good--hoping for the best for that guy.

AzTallRider

Congratulations - sounds like a good first race. I'm 57 and in my second season. The only issue with starting at our age is knowing we missed a lot of years of great racing.

rkwaki

Years ago I was training with my team and was on the front with another guy, I ate a banana and threw the peel to the ditch, right as that happened a bee flew up between the two behind us, somehow we all piled up and my head was the first thing to hit the ground. Naturally being as smart as I was back then I did not have a helmet on. I was knocked out for only a couple of seconds but by the time I came too and got up I had bled so much that my face and top side of my body was covered in blood. Fortunately someone stopped and rushed me to the clinic so I could have my head stitched back together.

Funny thing, in all the racing I have done I have only ever crashed once in a race yet went down three times in three weeks years ago...

slynkie

The updates have been coming from multiple sources so I guess it's confirmed. Markus did not make it. I wasn't even at Bethel so this is kind of unbelievable. I didn't know him that well, either - but I knew enough to know he was a good soul. He will be missed.

substructure

That's absolutely horrible. I can't even process this.
I am so sorry for his family and friends.

gsteinb

Any links?

slynkie

I wasn't sure what was appropriate to share, but I guess this is public information anyway. Mostly my info's from my own teammates, not Markus' team, so I don't want to link that. Here's his facebook page though:
https://www.facebook.com/markus.bohler

edit: I've also been reluctant to post an update on his team's fb page, since I'm hearing everything through others...but in case someone feels inclined:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pawling-Cycle-and-Sport/

MDcatV

wow. news like that makes my heart heavy.

echappist

My gawd...

I'm speechless other than wishing his family the best...

GirlAnachronism

+1

ridethecliche

+2
Man...

shovelhd

Damn.

Grumpy McTrumpy

I feel sick.