Not having health insurance is proving to be an unwise decision for a fellow in my shoes! Lucky for me I have had the broken hand deal happen before so I knew just what to do...kinda. I got on ebay and made my own cast.
So I was hoping to be able to ride with this thing but no go. Too much pain. I was forced into running which I generally do not enjoy. I made the best of it though and even did a 5k event for charity which was actually quite fun!
After 6 weeks of pain I eventually did go to the doctor who declared the bones healed correctly. And I should be fine in 4 more weeks.
The very same day I was back on the new Trek frame in my new Trek kit! It was so nice to be back in the saddle but I have a lot of work to do to get ready for the Arizona Mountain Bike series I will be competing in this winter!
But back to the racing....what a dismal end to the season I had. After a few podiums in a row back in July and August I was feeling good. Then a 5th place at the annual Camp Manitoc was hard to take. I just chalked it up to having a bad day.
The following race was at Dillon State Park and was an Ohio Championship Series race. The Trek Superfly was handling the course superbly. Filled with rocks and roots and gnarly terrain that this bike was made for. I was having a decent race and was in 2nd and feeling good, when a course marshal directed me the wrong way at an intersection. By the time I realized the deal and got back on course I was mid pack and the heat was getting to me. I gave up....DNF'd ...then proceeded to feel awful about it to this day. Big reminder to never give up and just finish it out if at all possible no matter what....it always works out better than you expect!
No problem though, I had some decent finishes in the series and there were plenty of races to make up for it. Next up was another state series race on a course I usually do well at. The technical Ceasars Creek course.
Again I was having a good race and in 2nd place when I had a catastrophic mechanical failure. This...again sometimes happens in a mountain bike race and is just part of the sport. However the bike was not rideable and I was forced to DNF AND hitch hike back to the start finish.
Ok...two DNF's in a row and now up is the West Branch 5 hour race. I love these races and was very much looking forward to it. Unfortunately my mind was elsewhere and I neglected to pre ride the course, and neglected to properly prepare my tires for the terrain...and paid the price big time.
I came to this race well rested, trained, and ready to make up for the recent bad luck. I got out front early and actually maintained a good gap for a little while...until my front tire went flat. I aired it and rode but had to stop and install a tube.
Then on the second lap the rear tire went flat! Damn now I am out of contention for sure I was thinking. Repaired and headed out for my 3rd lap now nearly 3 hours into the race. I was trying to make up some time on whoever I could and race hard. But I kept crashing in the corners unexpectedly. I was unaware my front tire was leaking again and rolling on the rim. On the 3rd and final crash my hand was bent backward and I felt the familiar snap and instant dull pain and that brings us back to where I began. A 3rd DNF in a row and a big fat broken hand just to seal the deal.
Somehow I still pulled out a 5th overall in the Ohio Points Series! I was shocked and pretty happy considering how the season ended.
I also recently competed in my first Protection Trial with my Rottweiler bitch "Lava". That was a really cool experience and something I have wanted to do for a number of years. While we did pass the protection phase we unfortunately failed the tracking and retrieval phases. Not a big deal to me but obviously not the goal. We also earned a Begleithund title on my 15 month old "Sookie". It is a prerequisite to move on to the protection trials so it was a bitter sweet weekend at the dog trial.
In two days I leave for Arizona. I will be living there and racing the local series, exploring the area and culture...hopefully it will inspire me to keep this updated more often and get some good photos going again.
Expect updates soon!
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