Great Fairlee Tri Race Report

So, it didn't look quite like this when it happened...it wasn't raining and I didn't have my umbrella.








And this isn't quite the right angle either, I think my front wheel was definitely turned off to the left a bit more...








This one comes closest, except that I had the good sense to be wearing my helmet...and it was my LEFT elbow that dragged along the ground...






ARRRRGGGGHHHH. Well, it happened...I finally had that first bike crash that all of us know is eventually going to take place. It totally SUCKS that it had to happen 8 miles into my biggest race this season (as yet...) but the good news is I'm only a little banged up and I think my ego has suffered way more trauma than my body. A very bumpy road with lots of fissures, a split second of complacency (see!!! It HAS to GO), and ker-pow...face down on the pavement. Came away with a few standard road rash spots, the worst of which is on my left elbow (and it's swollen to about the size of an orange...gotta love those ice packs) but all in all, I fared quite well. My helmet did what it was supposed to do and while it's cracked all the way through, there's nary a bruise on my head (thank you, thank you, thank you, Giro)...there was no traffic near me and I didn't take out any other bikers...I slept fine last night (apart from just being generally annoyed) and I'm only slightly uncomfortable today. Yes, I would say I'm pretty damn lucky to have experienced such a benign first crash...

My bike...oh my poor little bike...I felt so sorry for her. Thankfully, my bike gurus were at the race and, once assured that I was fine, they took little Amelia and are making her feel better as I type. One bright side to this is that I may end up upgrading the aerobars so that I'll have bar-end shifters...broke off one of the aero elbow rests and may have warped the front wheel...but the assessment is ongoing so we're still not sure of the best (and most cost effective) prescription is yet. We're all praying that the frame is ok...felt like I went down pretty hard but initial inspections showed no frame damage. They'll check her all out and take care of her.

So let's see...how to take something positive away from such a crappy experience...

1.) DNF is going to happen for everyone eventually, right? Think about Tyler Hamilton in last year's Tour...chock it up for experience and move on...at least it wasn't a DQ. I WOULD, however, like this to be my one and only DNF.

2.) I had a GREAT swim - 2 whole minutes faster than last year on this course and I felt really good too.

3.) I realized that I really need to focus more on brick workouts and transitions...so this will become more of a focus for the next month in preparation to kick butt in future races.

4.) I did have a great day watching the rest of my friends finish and enjoying the sun and post-race barbecue.

5.) There's nothing shameful about a 3/4 mile swim/8 mile bike brick workout...at least I got to record SOMETHING positive in my training log...

6.) I got to order a new helmet and it's going to match Amelia!!!

I still have a lot of things spinning around in my head and my heart about this whole experience. For today, I'm just trying to not worry too much about it and trying to get a handle on what I've learned. I know I'll have more to say soon...for now, misery loves company so if anyone has any war stories to share, post away!