Crashing in the Rain

Right at the end of my ride on Sunday, after riding for a full hour in the rain, my luck ran thin, and I crashed in the rain about a mile from home. I was approaching a 4-Way intersection, observing traffic for sequencing, when at the last second my Fenix helmet light picked up a color difference in the road surface 4-5 ft ahead. It was a 4x6 ft utility cover of some kind, and the steel edges formed a groove that sucked my front wheel right in as I drifted from the shoulder into the middle of the lane for better visibility.

They go through the brake better when round  :-(

As best I can figure out, I broke the wheel out of the rut, but it started skidding sideways over the slick steel. I managed to recover my balance and thought I was going to be able to ride through it for a moment, UNTIL, the wheel hit the corner turned sideways, and folded up like a cheap suit.

Rim jammed hard into front brake, and heavily gouged inside of fork

When the wheel hit the corner of the utility cover it potato-chipped, and pretty much exploded as it slammed into the fork and brake. I went down hard, but the milliseconds I was skidding sideways gave me enough time to "plan" my fall, so I stuck my fisted arm out ahead of me and landed on my right side SuperMan style. No wheel could have withstood those stresses, but I'm very grateful for those milliseconds mine hung tough. That probably saved me from a face-plant, and/or a broken collarbone.

The Garmin HR strap's plastic connector is very unkind on your ribs when you fall on it, and while I had a thigh bruise the side of a DOT-bot, and a big bruise on my left knee where it fell against the frame, it's been the ribs that have been painful enough to keep me from sleeping well. Mostly though, I am very happy I didn't break my collarbone and was able to get a ride home from a nice couple in a SUV who happened by a few minutes later.
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Clean break at the Mavic SUP weld

The wheel is a total loss, except for the hub, so I have ordered a new DT RR465 double-eyelet rim, and DT revolution spokes for a 3X laced build - I've had enough problems with Mavic rims I'm going to try DT this time.

20-spoke semi-aero wonder. It understeers a bit in turns.

Since it will take me awhile to build the new wheel, and I have no spare front wheel currently, I also ordered a Mavic Cosmic Elite 30mm semi-aero front wheel. At 20 spokes it isn't going to make a great training wheel, but for fast club rides and TTs on the South Folsom Canal, it should be great.

I guess I could be bummed out about this, but mostly I am anxious to see if I can crank  out 200+mile weeks as a matter of course. I want to try to get toughened into the fatigue and see if I can get to a whole new level of fitness, and maybe, ditch my BP meds!

Abdominal Strain

Just when you think you've seen it all, something new. There was something evil in the air last night, literally, which got me to coughing very hard as my throat started to swell shut out riding on the bike trail. There is something that blooms this time of year that really gets me and last night I felt like I was choking.

My BP med aggravates this condition, as it can cause a dry cough all on its own. Long lay-offs from exercise when taking this drug appear to deposit a lot of phlegm in the lungs. Another reason I would like to stop taking this snake poison. The attendant dehydration isn't so great either. If I ride every-other day, I don't need this med.

Once home the coughing got worse - at least for the first 5 minutes or so - before I got smart and jumped into the shower to wash my skin, face, and hair. Just as I was about to step into the shower, a final coughing fit, and darned if I didn't end up with an abdominal strain.

No crunches for me today. I have had this a few times before and seem to recall it takes about 10--14 days to get back to normal. I can ride (I hope), but not for a few days, and no climbing out of the saddle. I would rate my pull a II, based on this description.

First ride back after Mt Hamilton, and I pushed hard - up to 166 bpm - and am monitoring fatigue. I am working on speed, and so sprint intervals. Twenty-five miles of intervals really kicked my butt. I was pleased though that my BP was a cool 115/55 last night, and 125/65 this morning with resting pulse at 55.