Breck Day 5 -- Wheeler Trail

Today wasn't our day. I also learned that the race organizer is a sadist. I generally don't mind hike-a-bike sections, but after 45 minutes of walking, I'd had enough. At one point, I looked at my computer, which reads to the tenth of an MPH, and it was showing 0.0. I swear I was moving, but maybe not.

And then after finishing the final hike-a-bike, and having the 50mph wind almost blow me back down the mountain, I managed to ride for about 10 seconds before going over the bars and smashing the hell out of my head and lower legs. My right shin now looks like it has a golf ball stuck between the skin and bone. That didn't really set me up well for the next 2,500 feet of descending. There was a silver lining: the guy with the helmet cam was behind me and thinks he got my crash.

But the day wasn't all bad. I think I managed to have fun a few times. I rode with Allison Dunlap for a while and asked her what it was like to stay with the Reddingtons. She was too nice to be honest I think. And my legs felt surprisingly good at the end of the race on the final singletrack, which was pretty fun. And most importantly, I got yelled at by a lady on the bike path for not calling out "on your left." I wanted to stop and tell her that at more than double her speed into a headwind, she wouldn't have heard me anyway, and besides, I was 8 feet away from her. But I didn't.

Our start and finish photos. You might notice we look a bit happier at the start. You can also see some of the blood on my leg from my short flight.