Crash Test Dummy

Saturday was the big year-end party for the Tarheel Trailblazers and the Dirt Divas. The party consisted of multiple group rides, followed by food and drink. We got there early, and the groups started splitting up.













It was a little bit chilly out there, but Lunchbox thought we were riding at the North Pole or something.





I somehow ended up being the leader for our group, which was pretty small. I was happy to lead, especially since the group didn’t really feel like going out for hot laps. I’m still getting back into the swing of things from the 2011 Death Virus, so a nice leisurely pace sounded good.


The ride started out pretty normal, and we stopped every so often to regroup. I felt like the pace was okay, and no one in the group really complained. I felt pretty good out there, but I was having trouble with some of my “skills.” I guess I’m not fully recovered, and my balance seems to be the last thing coming back. As I led our group through a small rock garden, I made a stupid mistake. My front wheel fell into a little hole, and while I was standing up to pedal I ended up going over the bars. It was a slow crash, and I actually fell kinda gently to the ground. The part that really hurt though was when my bike fell on me, smashing my legs into the rocks beneath me. That shit hurt. Despite my knee swelling up and getting a little trail rash, I was able to continue the ride. I managed to break some shit on my bike though.


First was my bike computer:





Then I noticed that my bell had snapped clean off:





And worst of all, my little Mandalorian got his ass kicked too:





I felt like an ass for crashing. You know, since I was the ride leader and all. We kept going, and I thought the worst was behind me. After coming down a sketchy hill around a corner, I slipped on a root and bailed again. This time though, I hopped off my bike and tried to run it out. There was a long, sharp tree branch hanging on the side of the trail, and I ran right into it. I stabbed myself in the ribs, leaving a nice little mark. It hurt a lot worse than my endo. Damn it.


I didn’t have any of these issues when I raced on the same trail for twelve hours, so I can chalk my crashes up to my recovery. I felt like such a noob though, and it humbled me a bit. Maybe I won’t get elected “ride leader” next time. That way I can sit back and watch someone else crash right in front of me. Hopefully my group got a kick out of my mishaps. I wasn’t hurt too bad, so I was able to laugh about it.


What about the party? Well, you’ll have to wait for tomorrow to hear about that. There was an unveiling of sorts, so you don’t want to miss it. See y’all then.