We arrived in B.C. safe and sound. The drive was long, but uneventful-in a good way. We had nice weather, minimal hold ups, and everything went as planned. No two ways about it-24 hours of driving is a looooong time in the car!
As planned, we got together with the Ride2Survive group to do the very last group training ride on Saturday morning. It was a 100km ride (60 miles), at an easy pace. Simple, right? Not so fast.....
The group was practicing a rolling paceline. For the non cyclists, it means riding side by side in a long line, and having the left side ride slightly faster than the right side. When the front left side gets past the right side, they roll over to the right line. When you are the last rider on the right side, you pull left and follow the left lane. It's a rolling circle. When it's done right-it's very efficient, and looks pretty darn smooth too.
When it's not going well, it's easy for things to go very wrong. On this day, it wasn't the prettiest paceline, and about 2 riders up from me, someone slammed on their brakes, unexplanably. Unexplained brake slams are never a good thing when you're riding 2 inches off the rider in front of you's wheel. Anyway, long story short, I had to slam on my brakes and to avoid slamming right into the rider in front of me, I did a sharp turn to the right to try to avoid collision. My bike folded, and I hit the bike and the pavement in all sorts of crazy ways. Of all things, I completely smushed my right knee. Yes, the same knee I've been trying desperately to rehab from tendonitis. UGH!! All things considered, I faired pretty well. No broken bones, no ligament pulls, no major issues at all. In fact, after a brief ride in the SAG vehicle (Support and Gear vehicle), I got back on my bike and completed the rest of the training ride.
Now that I've had a day or so, I know the full extend of damage. My knee is extremely sore in side and out. I don't know what I've done, I suspect just trauma. I don't suspect anything broken. My collarbone has a beautiful blue/green bruise on it, which matches the ones on my pubic bone and left knee. I've pulled pebbles out of my right hand, but it seems to have faired pretty well-not too sore. I'm not sure what I hit my right side ribs on, but there is pain under there too.
Crashes happen. That's life. I'm frustrated that it happened to me. But when all is said and done, I must put this in perspective. That same day, a rider in the Ride to Conquer Cancer ride (a 2 day ride that left that same morning for a 2 day 200 some odd km ride down to Seattle) was killed. He was 16 years old and was riding to support his Uncle-a cancer survivor. I can't stop thinking about him. He was killed while trying to do something good. For Den and I, this whole bike riding to raise money for cancer started with him riding the Ride to Conquer Cancer. He did that ride in 2009, mere months after having the lobe of his lung removed to rid him of the cancer. It seemed absolutely absurd that he would aspire to do that ride. He signed up just after getting released from the hospital, when breathing while sitting was a chore and hurt. He wasn't a bike rider, he hadn't been for years. He wasn't even in particularly great shape. Yet, he needed to make a difference somehow for those battling cancer after him. The morning of our training ride, our entire team went on the course on our bikes and rode backwards through it, to cheer on every single rider doing the Ride to Conquer Cancer. That means, we waved to this young man, and wished him well. Just a face in the sea of riders, all smiling. All there for the same purpose. The same purpose the Ride2Survive rides. To put an end to cancer. And that same day, he crashed and died. I crashed and got through it with very minor injuries. Perspective.
Having said all of that, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about not being able to ride on Saturday. I've worked so hard for this. If there is any way for me to fight through the pain and still ride, I will be there. I will not let this stop me if I can help it. It's just a bummer that it's happened so close to the end goal. Regardless, I will be there with the team. We will wish for sunny skies, good memories, and lots of funds raised to fight cancer. But most of all we will wish for all of our riders to make it home safely to their families.
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