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| When you can's slide in her DM's... so you decied to jump in head first! VIDEO OF CRASH: Vid of Crash |
There is no other race in the country that I cannot think
of that has changed the way I viewed P1 racing in my life as much as Tulsa
Tough has. The first year I did Tulsa would be 2010 where I raced the 1/2
event. My next time would be in 2012 where I raced the P1. It was that year in
2012 where I was first exposed to how fast criterium races can be. I remember
that as my first year as a category 1 racer, I was fresh off of graduating high
school, and Tulsa Tough was going to be my first event of the summer to kick
off my summer of racing.
Now in 2016 it would be my 6th edition of racing
the 3 day event with my last 5 all being in the pro 1 field. Going into the
race weekend I was more calm and relaxed than I have been in years past. Part
of it had to do with knowing all the nooks and crannies of every corner of the
crits, as well as just being in a good mood and looking forward to racing hard all summer.
The start of the race was fast as always, I calmly clipped
in and started to settle into a rythem on the tail end of the pack. Out of
all the courses for the weekend Friday night is always the easiest to float at
the back of the pack. I used the first few laps to gain a rythem. Afterwards I
started to move up towards the front of the pack. I was making sure to use as
little energy as possible, picking off one or two spots every few turns.
Things were going great till I came up on my least favorite
turn in the country. Turn two of the Blue dome Friday night crit. Sure enough,
a rider was on my inside taking the line a little too hot and washed out. I did
my best to cut off as much speed as I can. However, the momentum of the crashed
riders pushed out further than I could escape and my rear wheel was sweeped out
from under me. I was catapulted into the curb and then into a tree.
I laid
there in the crowd of spectators making all my mental checks. Breathing was
fine, no dizziness. I could move all fingers and toes, shoulders felt fine. Felt
a little pain on my hip and reached down and pushed against my leg. Swelling
was fine. I laid there for a few minutes to bring my heartrate down. By the
time I got up the field came through. I finally made it to my feet and was
inspecting my bike. Wheels were true (true enough) and nothing looked too bad
with equipment.
I rolled to the pit and could feel some pain in my elbow. I
looked and saw some blood coming down my sleeve, but I was able to bend my arm
without and sort of sharp pain. I would jump into the pack the next time
through (free laps are the best). Although I knew the crash had nothing to do with my own ability, my mind was a little rattled. It is super hard to come back after a
crash.. One year earlier I had an early crash in the same corner under similar circumstances.
For the rest of the race I was racing a lot more cautious
than I wanted too. There were a few close calls in the final half hour of the
race which normally wouldn’t have spooked me but things did not feel too
comfortable.
As we entered the final 5 laps of the race I was way out of position
and there was no way that I could get up to the front. The top teams were
already lining it out and I was stuck in the ruff. I would end up rolling in
for a pack finish.
Happy with the way the legs felt and looking forward to the
next two days of racing
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