I shouldn't have gone for the ride yesterday - I was tired from traveling the week before - then I rode the day before - and I skipped the long ride the previous Saturday - I just wasn't feeling it... and yet I went out for a group A ride.
It was a large group to start, 20+ riders - several very fast riders - a few that would just hang on. At some point we would break into two groups and I would be with the faster group.
We started easy, then got faster as the day went on. The stronger riders rotated pulling at the front, many just hung in the back and took advantage of the draft. A tight paceline is a beautiful thing and we were in a pretty good groove with a nice solid pace on a road with gentle hills.
When we got to the bigger hills, the group broke in two and met a while later at a rest stop. I bought a bag of ice and shared it around - it was a hot day and the other riders seem to appreciate the idea.
After the turn around point, we hit Shed road, a 2 mile long climb - not too steep, but tiring. Another strong rider joined us and helped pushed the pace to the top. I couldn't keep up with the top 3 guys, which was a good signal that I wasn't on my game, but did lead the next group to the top at a steady, strong pace.
At the top, 8 or so of us went ahead, while the rest regrouped. A couple of minutes in, I lost my chain, recovering quickly, only to lose it again on an uphill, requiring me to dismount and put it on. The rest of the group slowed allowing me to catch up - this wore me out a bit. We then picked up the pace, and got faster... and faster...
Over 55 miles into the ride we are hammering down 282, going between 25 and 30 mph... I was pretty tired and had just finished pulling at the front and was at the back of the pack. I was drafting really close and a loud Mustang drove by - the rider in front of me swerved to the right and caught my wheel. The rest happened in slow motion...
My front wheel twisted and jerked the handlebars in my hands - I lost my balance and before I knew it, I was skidding along pavement with the wind knocked out of me. I could hear the other riders yelling 'rider down!'. I got up and moved my bike and my body to the side of the road as I watched the other riders turn around to help. I was having a hard time breathing and my back, left side, and chest were aching... the shaper pain from scrapes and road rash were a bit more acute, but familiar.
Eventually I was able to breath, but couldn't take deep breaths without pain in my back and chest. The first couple of times I tried to get up, I got dizzy spells, with tunnel vision, but after about 10 minutes was feeling like I could ride home. The other riders were checking my bike, looking over my helmet, trying to decide what to do next. There was a widespread 'AUGH' when I pulled up my shorts to show off my road rash. They weren't sure if I could ride back (because of the dizzy spells). There were several ideas on how to get me home, but I eventually assured them that I could ride. They kept a close eye on me for the first few miles, then realized I was ok (I was riding pretty good, except any climb or bump was a bit painful).
I came home and took a painful shower, fell asleep, then put some second skin on (tegaderm).
Still sore today, but glad it wasn't worse.
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