Ouch!

That's what the Snotcycle ended with for me yesterday. A XC race with the ground covered with snow and the snow covered with ice certainly made for an interesting day.


The first lap started okay, not a typical XC start with the ice but we all went into the trail with me about mid-pack of 9 women. Cool course was my first thought, but then my sliding around was really starting to get old. In talking with some of the other racers that would watch me slide, I was certainly having more of an issue with it than most. I'd say I was on slicks but I got to verify that wasn't true first hand when I had to pull over to put air in my flat rear tire. That took about about 15 minutes with trying to twist a frozen CO2 cartridge with cold wet hands. Finally got air in but by this point I was out contention. So what I thought, I still want to get my three laps in. But then lap 2 became a painful joke. My rear tire was going flat again and I was sliding worse. My third sliding crash took me out. Not sure how I did it but both my knee's took serious impacts and it took me a few seconds of laying in the middle of the trail wondering if I'd ever walk again before I was able to drag me and my bike off the trail. Then another 5 minutes of just standing there with my bike before I could bend a knee. The 15 minute walk out of the trail was probably a good thing and kept a little motion in them. Little swelling knots that were iced last night. Not the end of my walking life thankfully, but did end my first XC of 2009.

It was great to see alot of people that I hadn't seen yet this winter. I'm looking forward to the Baker's Dozen with a little warmer temperatures and a lot less ice.