Here is what happened:
I was taking part in my first 40K Time Trial on 5/18. I was pushing fairly hard, while still trying to pace myself a bit. Later powertap data would show I was at about 90% of my Critical Power/FTP.
This is the route I rode, along with my speed and power data if you are interested.
Entering the corner from 2250 to 750 the second time I swung out very wide and started my turn in. I didn't stop peddling and didn't bleed off enough speed. I was going approximately 22 Mph before the crash. My wide line was made wider while adjusting for a SSW wind at about 10 miles an hour. Lastly my inside foot was down, keeping me from leaning correctly, when I did finally stop peddling.
Anyway, the last thing I remember is my front wheel grabbing the gravel on the far side of 750 and thinking "well, this is going to suck." I lost control and went forward over the handlebars. The bike went with me, I pulled it over by my cleats. The next thing I knew, I was laying down in a ditch full of water with a bike on top of me. I had to pull my shoes off to get free of the bike. At first I thought my legs were broken, but it turned out my calves were both just very very cramped from either the impact or pulling the bike over with me.
I landed on my head and shoulder and immediately felt a good amount of pain in both. My handlebars were bent completely forward at the stem, but that was an easy repair. The rest of the bike appeared ridable.
A motorist stopped at the corner. I was guessing he was going to check if I was ok. I guessed wrong. He pointed at me, laughed, and drove off. What a douche...and in retrospect, kinda like Nelson from the Simpsons.
I decided to make the repair to the bars and ride back the remaining 5 miles at an easy pace.
When I got back to the car Lana snapped these pictures on my iPhone:
So, I was a bit beat up. My bike had a few scratches and dings, but nothing too serious. I also decided to replace my helmet. It look a huge amount of the impact and might have saved me from a much more serious injury. Big thanks to Giro for their crash replacement program too, by the way. A discount on a new lid after all this was very welcome. The next day I was still running, but on Thursday I was seriously sore. I was off swimming for about a week because of my shoulder pain but that was the only real impact to my training. All in all however, I was very lucky. It could have been pretty bad.
I still haven't gotten my nerve back in the corners, but I imagine it will come back in time. Until then, I'm pretty much back to full speed on my training and feeling fine.
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