Nationals was a big week for NOW and Novartis for MS. We had the full crew except for Anne, our favorite Canadian. Unfortunately those from up north can't participate in US nationals... even if they do live in Colorado.
The racing started off with the TT. It was my first time riding a TT bike and my first time doing more than a 20 minute TT. I used the race as experience and can say I gained a lot. Just getting used to the position of a TT bike is a whole new feeling. It's a little different from my (rather upright) road position. It felt a little funny, but it also felt fast!! and super fun! I might have had too much fun given it was a TT.
Next day was crit day. or crit night to be more precise. The thing about summer evenings in the south is that they are plagued with rainstorms. Really big thunderstorms. It was clear a big one was coming before the race even started! I wish they would have postponed the race and waited until we could ride safely with no torrential storms on the way. Instead, they sent us off racing with pre-race instructions of "if you hear a bell, that means the next lap is the finish." In the end, they gave us a 5 lap warning before the final bell. This was only about 20 or so minutes into the race. So the national championship was determined by a 30 minute race. It was ridiculous and dangerous and in the end, our sprinter was caught up in a crash and off to the hospital with a broken arm. In good news, she is healing fast and expects a speedy return!
The next day was a rest day and then the road race... we were down to 4 people but ready to race hard in the hot hot Georgia sun. The race started with an attack up the first climb that led to a break. We had nobody in it, but we hedged our bets that it was a little early for a break to stick. The rest of the lap was pretty boring as everyone was being patient to start the full on racing. By lap 3, the break was still off the front, but people were ready to race and the gap was closing. There were a number of attacks and the pace was picking up!
Just as the race was getting "fun", a rider came up on me, hooked bars, and wipeout... I keep playing the scenario over in my head.... so many what ifs... but in the end, I was sliding fast along the hot pavement. nothing i could do. I came to a stop and before I knew it our DS was there telling me to take my time. Meanwhile I'm shook up and thinking "where's my bike, can i get up? can i ride?" As I'm trying to assess all the pain signals coming into my brain, i look down and see a gaping hole in my knee full of blood. Eeeew! Luckily I didn't pass out, but I knew the race was over.
I had a long long wait in the ER. I was super bummed not to be racing, sad to be laying in a hospital, anxious to get fixed up, and incredibly annoyed at the stupid heart rate monitor that wouldn't stop beeping because my hr was below 50. My only smile for the day came when I heard the news -- Robin won!!!!! My teammate just won the national championship. I let out a scream - probably the only happy scream of the day in the ER! Check out the jersey:
(note -- this is not Robin... it is her dog)
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