Tale of Woe at Modesto 5-20-12

Mike McLaughlin reports from the Modesto Road Race-45+ Cat 4/5-
[Tale of woe alert]

I was looking forward to this race immensely. I'm back in shape after a winter of non-riding, feeling good on the noon and Spectrum rides. Executed my pre-race plan to perfection (when to leave, what to eat, etc.). A little bit of confusion for me at the start -- the organizers had split the 45+ 4/5 in to two groups. I did not pre-reg, so I was in the "B" group. There were about 50 in the A group and 30 in the B group. Teams represented, as best I can remember: Tri-Valley Cycling (5 riders, Livermore area), Major Motion (3 riders from Oakland, I think), two guys who rode in kit that says "Santa Barbara aircraft", two TIBCO guys and one San Jose Cycling guy (I think). I rode the race pretty much as I planned. Stayed near the front, made sure no threatening breaks went away, and frankly struggled with the boredom of 54 miles of flat roads. Studied the last turn and finish line each of the 5 times we passed it, so I had a plan, at least for what line to take through the turn and which way the wind was blowing.

The guys I was riding with, at least those who spent time at the front, all seemed to be solid, experienced riders. There were a few squirelly "to be avoided riders" but by and large I was lulled into a sense of complacency because everyone was riding smoothly and sensibly. I didn't pay much attention to the guys lurking in the back. In retrospect I see that this lulled me into a false sense of complacency. This was, after all, a Cat 4/5 race. After lots of noon rides I had become used to riding among good bike handlers who stay in their line and don't make sudden movements. I was very focused on finishing well, and didn't remind myself when the time came for the sprint to BE CAREFUL. You never know how inexperienced riders will behave when the heat is on. Big, big mistake.

I felt great in the last lap. Pulled myself into the top 5 for the last turn (thanks to Andrew's pre-race advice), came out of it in a great spot behind the second wheel. I wanted to win, and felt I had a shot. After about 200 meters two guys who had moved themselves up on either side of me tried desperately to get out of the wind and push me off my wheel. I was pinched in between and had to chicken wing my elbows to back them off. No big deal, but it got my dander up a bit. Rode 50 meters more and momentum slowed just a hair, so rather than jam on the brakes I let my my front wheel coast slightly up between the two wheels riding side by side in front of me . It was close quarters, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary. I was half-wheeling the guy on my front right by maybe 6 inches, and they were riding with 1.5 handlebar lengths between them. Next thing I know, a flyer comes up the left side and the guy to the right jumps out of the saddle with a Cat 5 caliber jerk -- slowing himself down so my 6 inch half-wheel was suddenly 18 inches -- and he dives left to chase the rabbit. His rear skewer enters my front wheel and I'm flying through the air. No one else fell, which is good.

I have a well developed and too-frequently practiced duck and roll instinct, which kicked in well. The crash was right in front of the feed zone about 400 meters from the finish, so help was there immediately. Onto a backboard and neck brace and off to the hospital. I was about 300% more pissed than hurt, but there was no way I could fight the system, and the oxygen didn't feel all that bad. The top of my helmet was cracked, so I don't blame them taking the precautions they did. Released 2 hours later and the husband of the very nice ER nurse drove me 20 minutes back to my car (thanks for the hospitality, Modesto General!!).

Damage assessment: 3 broken spokes on the front wheel, one leg of the carbon fiber fork snapped just below the crown and the other leg cracked, new scratches on my rear derailleur and front shifter, bar tape chewed up a bit, slight scrape on the saddle. Ample road rash on me, but I have had much worse. I will say that there is no better way to make every muscle in your body seize up like concrete than being strapped into a back board like Hannibal Lechter for 90 minutes right after a 2 hour race.

Lessons learned: Truism #1 -- it is always the guy right behind the guy who makes the dumb move who pays the price. Truism #2 -- never put yourself in a position to be the victim of the dumb move in front of you, especially in a Cat 4/5 race where the chances of a dumb move increase exponentially. I was too focused on winning the race, and not focused enough on protection of life and limb. I have been in plenty of close quarters sprint windups and never had a problem. The law of averages caught up with my complacency.

Recommendation Needed: I need to replace the HSC 5SL fork on my Look frame. Any recommendations on a shop? The Look authorized dealers near me (Portola Valley) include Front of the Pack on El Camino, Velo Tech on Emerson in PA, Palo Alto Bicyles on University, and Goride and Chain Reaction in Redwood City. I'm willing to drive farther for trusted service. Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

Hopefully I will be back on the road by next week, bike repair permitting.

Cheers,

Mike