Sunday, January 01, 2006

Crash

Well the race yesterday was exciting to say the least. It was probably the worst condition si have ever raced in. The snow from the day before had melted and combined with the pooring rain that began around 2 it was a real shit show. Mud. All different types of mud, all thrown together in a windy technical slip and slide. I had a good start, well the first time we started i had a good start. some guys jumped the gun a bit, pretty usual here, but Sven Nys, reigning world cahmp had a bunch of photographers in front of him and couldnt go. so he stayed on the line and pretty much single handedly forced the race organizers to restart the race. About half way into the lap we all got pulled over to the side and taken back to the start for another try. The second go round wasnt so ht for me. i got cought up pretty good in traffic and on the first of three steep drop ins i had my first spectatular head first crash into the crowd. fter that i was un abiut last place and just got on and tryied to limit my losses. I passed ryan a few minutes later standing by his bike and holding his sholder, I guess he had a huge crahs and had jammed it up pretty good. I continued to ride around the course making up ground and then giving it back up as i went careneing of course into the fencing at least twice a lap. Onone occasion i went over the bars into the fences and my bike stayed clipped onto my foot and got catapaulted into the crowd. Finally on the fourth lap i was starting to get my shit together and actually ride my bike. All was well untill a slight laps f concentration aproaching the stairs. I slipped and went head first into them. no big deal i though and got back up and kept going. The i noticed i couldnt bend my left pinky. weird i thought. I rode around to the start finish and pulled my glove off to get a better look. I almost fell off my bike! It was mangled beyond recognition! It didnt hurt but was all twisted up and ugly. I couldnt even stand to look at it. I rushed into the pits and then over to the medical tent. There i found ryan all cleaned up and ready ot go to the hospital. I got the quick sponge bath and we headed out in the back of te ambulance for the hospital. There was no one there and we got some star treatment. one of the doctors scrubs were all muddy because he had just been at the race! they started checking us out and one doc came over and looked at my finger. She asked "how tough are you" and i said, Kinda. She took my finger and started moving it around and with a sickening crack she out it straight. ryan and i headed up for xrays and then back down to our room. good luck was on our side. no broken anything for either of us. just some severe dislocation for me and some strained muscles and ligamnets for ryan. she gave ryan an shot in the but fr the pain and then we headed home for a sweet new years dinner and some chanpagne for the new year. today i am chillin with my finger in a splint and some ice on it. We are going to try and race tomorrow in St Nickkolas. we will see how it goes. I will try and post a picture of my finger before they straitened it out. anyways, a pretty shitty day all aorund but now it is time to get on the bike and try to ride the bruises and scrapes out of my mind as i focus on the next 2 races and then an 8 day training camp in Monoco. Later

bart

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Arnica.

Barry Wicks said...

already on it... and lots of ice