I, however, ran as an independent, fully aware I was going to come in towards the bottom of the pack. I did not, however, foresee the slam I would subsequently take, which nearly knocked me out of the race.
About 3 miles into the 15 mile, 2 lap (at 7.5 each) race, I washed out going hard into a loose dirt corner, with about five riders behind me. I went down in slow motion, although for all intents and purposes I was probably doing about 18 miles an hour. Hit the ground hard, and just waited to get run over. Thanks to the modern ingenuity of hydraulic brakes, I was spared, and was able to limp off of the trail to try and ascertain exactly what parts of my body were in pain. Luckily after about 5 minutes of attempting to catch my breath after it was forcibly ejected from my lungs, I decided I did not need to seek medical help, and thought about walking to my car. I then thought about riding to my car, if my hip would work. After a few more racers passed me, I decided to try and finish my first lap. I would be able to save some face that way. As I made my way around the course in a serious amount of pain, my hip started loosening up. By the time I came around to the finish, I was feeling almost okay. My hereditary pride kicked in at this point, and I decided I was going to finish the race, despite what my side was screaming at me. After what felt like another hour (it was close), I was done! It felt great, however my side did not. All in all I came in 35th out of 37 in the single speed division, not too shabby considering the circumstances. I can't believe I actually beat anyone, considering I was knocked out of the competition pretty early. Post race pictures below. Beware, one includes a shot of my hip. It's pretty risque. It is now black and blue. You were warned.
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