Fast Dreaded Double DNF

Delayed post because I have no clue how to write about my racing last weekend.  I raced the NVGP amateur crit 123 race and Camrock WORS elite.

First off!  I celebrated Father's day Saturday.  That part is easy, super fun to hang out with Riley all morning. Awesome all the things she is becoming able to do.  Here is a picture, been months since the last one...

Now for the crit...  I had good legs in the way that you have good legs sometimes and you just get to race without worrying about anything but having fun.  Was 'controlled' throughout despite racing with a very strong field.  When I decided to catch a small group off the front I was able to, when I wanted to move up in the group I was able to.  The last couple of laps were easier than expected and I maybe got a little lazy and found myself pushed back to about 12th with just the final time up the hill, a right turn and then a 150 yard sprint left to go.  Took the outside line up the hill and started passing people relatively easily.  The back of the very front group was taking a middle line through that final corner but I had more momentum than they did and drifted wide hoping to open up and fly past them.  The corner completed and I stood to sprint in an 'outside' lane but with still 3-4' of room between me and the barrier.  At this point I was within 10-15 yards of the front and definitely in the top 10 and with momentum.  Out of nowhere there was a rider coming toward me traveling at least 10-12 mph slower than the rest of us and cutting to the left.  I don't remember well what happened next but I know that I was forced left and into a two wheel, brakes locked, slide until I hit the metal fence/barrier.  I am ok.  My bike is OK.  One other rider hit me and went down harder than I did.  My helmet was broken, I thought my hand probably was.  I had to lay on the ground for a while and do the body part checklist thing.

They had announced prior to the race that they would not be pulling riders...  That lapped riders should move left.  I do not know for sure that this was a lapped rider.  I do not know for sure that this wasn't in some way my own fault.  I do know that I should have had a clean line to sprint.  I did speak to an official but what was that really going to do?  More importantly, what kind of person makes a stink over the amateur race while the pros are on their way to finish on the same roads.

Whatever happened there it was too late and after a couple of choice words to no one in particular I went to medical and left to pre-ride Camrock.

On the way down to Camrock I was worried about shifting my front grip shifter with my damaged hand.  I should have been worried about braking.  I was going to preride no matter what.  I'm getting better skills wise, but knowing what's coming next is pretty helpful yet to me while mountain biking (Thanks Charly Tri btw for the riding tips, seriously).  I also figured riding was going to be the only way to figure out how my body would feel the next day.

It was 25 minutes after sunset when I finished my preride lap...  sort of epic riding in the pitch black singletrack with no lights.

Wasn't as sore as I'd feared in the morning.  Found a new helmet at the Trek store, found some ice tea, got to camrock.

Was late to the start chute and don't have a series number or a call-up so it was back of the pack for me.

Making my way to where I belonged...

Went into singletrack in top 20 but behind a couple dudes who were too slow.  Worked my way forward as I could, particularly the one gravel segment.  Near the beginning of lap 2 someone called out 18th place.  I had forgotten about my body hurting.  Caught and dropped 2 riders, passed by 1, another had a mechanical.  I could see a fairly large group not that far ahead with some kits/riders I recognized.  Things were grooving pretty good.  I love the mixture of technical stuff with fast/power sections like this course.

At about the halfway mark of the race my chain snapped and that was that.  Double DNF weekend.