We've been watching the Tour de France lately and I can say wow inspiring! I figured it wasn't likely I was ever going to be able to race or handle a bike like these elite pros, but there was one thing I might be able to do just as well... Crash!
So on the Fourth of July Danny and I raced our third criterium race. For those who are not familiar with bike racing a criterium, or crit, is a race where the track is usually a mile or so, you race around for a set amount of time 30 min in our case, then they announce 5 more laps. That's it you take five more laps and the first to cross wins. The only catch is if you get lapped you're out. It's fast, really fast the second time we raced I got dropped by the pack while I was going over 25mph, and on a bike that's pretty intense for a beginning race.
So on the fourth, I was actually doing decent I hung with the pack for several laps before I fell off the back and the pack had just barely caught me when I heard the 5 more lap bell. Well with 2 to go, I saw a girl go down about 3 or 4 riders ahead of me. You are in really tight drafting so in the split second I panicked, having never been in this situation before, I smashed into the rider in front of me.
It took us all a bit to orient ourselves. There were about 8 of us with our bikes in a mess and our tushies on the pavement, water bottles we everywhere! I picked up one that looked like mine and took a swing, it was some sort of sports drink I brought water today. I set it back down and look again for mine. I managed to get myself off the road and realized I was in better shape than some. One lady's seat was bent completely sideways.
I put my chain back on and still can't pedal I'm not sure what's up with my bike so I start to walk it back to the start. Then, I decide I. Don't really want to walk that for so I stop to figure it out. Something was caught in my wheel so I fix it and soft pedal back to Danny and the boys.
I take my bike to the mechanic and learn my wheel is slightly bend and I need a new spoke, $30 worth of repairs. Really good looking at some others, but too much work for today. I'll have to take it into the shop next week.
I walk my bike back to the truck with the boys, and start to feel my shoulder hurt. It's a deep sort of pain that kind of freaked me out a bit so I head to the medic to see if I should get it X-rayed or something before we drive to Houston.
My shoulder look as good as can be but he warned me it was going to be really sore, if it was so bad I couldn't sleep I should go get it checked out later.
Sounds good to me so Danny went and grabbed his bike for his race. My last minute advice to him, "Don't crash, it hurts". I looked for some ibuprofen to get in my system before my shoulder started to swell, but couldn't find any so I walked back to the medic to see if he had any. He gave me three and I mentioned, "oh btw, I'm starting to feel a little fuzzy. Is that okay?" Hmm, apparently not. He sort of freaked out checked my pupils and asked me what I drank before the race. I answered water thinking he was concerned about electrolytes, but now I realize he probably was talking alcohol. He said I needed to go get checked out and asked if I was here by myself. I told him my husband was racing. He went away and came back to tell me they had 2 laps left in the race and asked if I really wanted Danny to finish.
I told him Danny wasn't actually in the race but lined up for the next one. I went to go get him, but the medic insisted he go. I found out later he told Danny to take me or they were going to call an ambulance... Haha my boys would have loved that but... No.
So a freaked out Danny whisked me away to the ER. The intake doctor looked at me when I told him I crashed and couldn't focus and said, "we'll we can't do anything for that, but we can keep an eye in you for a bit if you want." Um okay? They whisked me back and the nurse practitioner was more concerned about my quarter size road rash, that the medic had already cleaned than anything else. The boys weren't allowed back so I hung out in my room by myself.
They patched me up again and got everything ready to discharge me, then I really start feeling terrible. I start getting sick, but I haven't eaten anything so it was just miserable. The lights were so bright. I kept fluctuating between too cold and too hot, and the bed incline for whatever reason was really bothering me so I curled up on the end so I could be flat.
The medical assistant came to get my paperwork, and decided she better get the nurse. The nurse came in and decided she should talk with the doctor. I didn't know at the time but I then graduated to a full doctor in lue of the nurse practitioner. He decided to go ahead and do a cat scan. That was pretty quick, but I did feel sick in the middle, so I ducked out of the tube and freaked the nurses out. They were really nice though and gave me a wet wash cloth and said it was a good thing I was small because most people couldn't duck in and out like that. Honestly, I couldn't imagine it feeling any smaller. Yikes!
Anyways, they finally gave me some more anti nausea meds, and a shot of pain killer for my headache. When it occurred to me that it felt very much like a migraine. I asked the nurse if it were possible that it could have triggered a migraine. She thought it might, and the doctor agreed so with my clear cat scan and new migraine, mild head trauma v.s. scary major head trauma diagnosis, and meds that finally kicked it I got to go home. I tried to convince Danny to go ahead and drive to Houston, but since I couldn't help drive and he had such a long day we decided it wouldn't be the nicest either to make his parents stay up till 1 to let us in and went home.
My bed feels super nice, but I can't sleep to much adrenaline today I think. So, I wrote out my little story for ya'll. The boys did get a great view of fireworks over the Capitol for the waiting room, Will said they were, "amazing!" Danny's been the perfect husband and the boys were super patient. Especially, Will about delaying our trip to Grandpa's and fishing.
I feel very hard core now but mostly, I thank my Father in Heaven that I was only minorly hurt! However, I think I 'm turning in my racing shoes and sticking long rides in the country with Danny. I was actually terrible at racing, and well getting hurt is just no fun and the thrill just doesn't make up the difference for me.
