Race:Yard Sale
Date: 3-17-2002
Place: Hawkes Creek Farm, Athens, GA
Distance: 13.5 miles
Speed: 9.1 mph
Time: 26 minutes

I was not sure whether I was going to do this race or not. The forecast had been calling for rain all weekend. I did 3 hours of hill climbs on Saturday, so I knew that I would be tired if I raced. Sunday came, and it was party sunny and nearly 80 degrees. I decided to race. I really need to get a couple of mtb races under my legs before the season's first big races come up next month. After a venture last weekend to Chicopee, I found out again that the less you ride your mountain bike, you forget the handling skill.

This race course is one of my favorites. There are no big climbs, and most of it is singletrack. Amid the rolling pastures of Hawkes Creek Farm lies a 4.1 mile loop of technical, tough singletrack with no major climbing. I heard they added a new singletrack section, but I would never get to ride it. The loop starts off with riders winding through a field that has been marked off. Then there is a quarter mile sprint up a dirt and grass road where speeds can reach in excess of 20 mph with riders pushing their big ring. It then proceeds down a seeded pasture and with a large dip into the woods. Throughout the race course roots and rocks provide interesting diversions. The first 1/4 mile of singletrack winds up a small incline to a flat stretch that riders often sprint up to seperate themselves from the pack. The next 3/4 mile contains several short hills that are all ridable. The trail then winds down by a creek and is filled with large roots and several rock formations that are tricky but can be ridden. Riders then cruise over the smoothest portion of the trail until the 3 mile mark. At that point, a large gully dips and rises about 10 feet. Most riders walk it the first time, but it is not as intimidating as it looks. The trail continues to roll along the next mile and winds back on itself in several places. The next half mile includes a small nontechnical climb to a short downhill and a fast sprint through the start/finish field.

Off the line, I got a good start. This was the first time in over 2 years that I'd worn a heart rate monitor during a race. I looked down and was already in the 190's within 30 seconds of the race's start. I was 3rd overall and 2nd in Senior going into the woods. The heat and humidity really took its toll when we got into the singletrack. I could barely breathe. M heart rate was really high. I could not come out of an EIL attack. Try as I could, my heart rate wouldn't come down. (Lesson 1 for the day, leave the heart rate monitor at home during races). The first 2 miles were pretty uneventful other than being passed by some of the faster juniors. I kept the speed up to try to put some distance between the girl that was behind me and myself. I was not riding my best. I could tell that I was tired from Saturday. My bike handling skills were off from what they usually are. I was about a mile from the finish and putting time on the girl behind me when I found myself flying over the handlebars. The part of the trail that I was going through was very rooty, and some of them were as large as small log crossings. I must have hit one of them and not rolled over it. I hit the dirt with my left shoulder, chin, and right knee. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. I went into an EIL attack and could not come out of it. I was laying in the trail. A couple of the guys that were out of the race stopped to help me. After about a minute, I was able to get myself out of the trail. When I got up, I could not put any weight on my right knee. I looked down and could already see it beginning to swell. With the help of one of the guys and leaning on my bike for support, I made it to the ambulance. The paramedics refused to look at my knee and would only give me some ice. Some help they were! I hobbled over to the CAT team's tent and iced my knee for about 20 minutes. Taking stock of my other injuries, I saw that my collarbone was bruised and scraped up. My left hip was also a bit sore. After sitting for a while longer, I went to my car and changed. My knee looked and felt no better an hour afte rthe accident, so I decided to go to the ER at North Fulton Hospital. I filled out the paperwork, and much to my surprise, they saw me within 5 minutes. They even got a wheelchair for me, so that I didn't have to walk on my knee. By this time, my knee was the size of several grapefruits. The doctor came in and declared it a broken patella (knee cap) but wanted xrays to confirm. I was wheeled into the xray room on the stretcher, and the radiology technician took two xrays. The doctor said they looked clean and that there didn't look like anything was broken. I probably just bruised and "whacked" it really good. He sent me home with a prescription for anti inflammatories and directions to ice and rest it. I also have a knee imobilization brace, but it hurts more to wear it than it does to walk without it. I feel better that I went to the ER b/c it was hurting so badly. I have been keeping my knee wrapped in an ace bandage and have been trying to stay off of it as much as possible.