 |
| Warming up on my new rollers--Thanks, Roger! |
Last weekend was a very special weekend for me. Not only was it my 14th birthday, but it was the last of the 5 State Championship Titles that I was competing for.
Saturday morning, I woke up ready to get on the bike and try to kick some butt in the Cat 4 Men's race. After doing my warm-up, I lined up in staging and waited to be called up to the line. Once the whistle was blown, I almost instantly went into the pain cave. I spent most of my time attacking in the front and recovering in the back.
Once I saw 2 laps to go, I knew I needed to start to move up. Going into corner one, my back tire slid out and went skidding on the pavement for several yards. Almost as soon as I was thrown down, I was getting back up and checking myself for any serious injuries. My bibs and socks were ruined, and I ended up with a nasty road rash that covered most of my right leg, but otherwise, I was ok. With encouragement from my dad, I got back on the bike and finished the race.
 |
| Look closely and you can see me skidding out |
 |
| Dad's helmet cam footage |
After I crossed the finish line, I got some medical help (and moral support) from my friends on the Wizard Racing and RedEye Velo teams. Some of the parents took me to the Wizard pit for treatment, since it was right near the finish line. They cleaned out my wounds, patched me up, and gave me ice to help with the swelling, and I really appreciate it. Without them, I don't know if I would have been able to race on Sunday.
That night, my family went out to eat with the RedEye Velo team at this cool little pizza place. We had a great time hanging out, and the team even gave me some presents that made me feel like an honorary member of the team. Thanks, guys!!
 |
| Staging for the Juniors race |
Sunday morning I was a little bit stiff and in pain, but I knew I just had a short 25 minutes to push through if I wanted to compete for my final state championship. Off the line I made an attempt to drop everyone early, and hammered for the first 3 laps. However, because of my injuries, it soon became obvious that I wasn't going to be able to ride away from the group, so I settled in.
 |
| The finish |
With 3 laps to go, a friend (Jackson) attacked and got a good gap, which stood strong until the very last turn of the race, when I closed the gap after spending 3 laps chasing him down. Once I came around the last corner, I attacked hard starting the sprint to the finish. In the end, I found myself winning my 5th State Championship Title of the year by a very slim margin. Kudos to Hunter, Nico, Jackson and the others for making the finish so exciting! It was a great race, and it was great seeing all of my road friends.
**Thanks to RedEye Velo and Wizard Racing Team for some of the pictures.**
The next time I make the stupid mistake of putting my email address up there instead of my name, could you warn me first?! :) LOL
ReplyDeleteWhoops! I didn't even realize it. I'll delete it for you. Thanks for the comment though. We are waiting for the July issue to come out so we can get a copy. Only subscribers have it now.
Delete