11/5 NECCS #4 Cycle-Smart International Northampton, MA

Elite Masters 35+
DNF/100

I spent the night in Boston again as it was closer to both venues than the Cape. However, I was planning to go to the Cape after today’s race for the night.
The day brought another fantastic weather scenario: sunny and chilly. Upon arrival I donned my uniform and did a couple of laps with BIKEMAN’s Big Al as he gave me some inside info on the good lines. This course was also in a park and had a wide open field with many turns, a sandpit, a couple of railroad crossings that you could actually get air and jump over, and some wooded riding with run-ups. More fun for sure!
The rest of the race prep went according to plan (I kept the race wheelset on this time!) and I lined up a few rows deep at the start which consisted of about 200 yards of flat pavement before turning onto the grass. I was in the 30’s as the lap got underway, but tried to stay cool and let the race evolve and hope I would be able to accelerate once I went around a couple of times and pick up positions. Although I was being patient, I still felt I needed to pick up positions whenever possible and this was my undoing. Only halfway into the 2nd lap I forced the issue in a totally inappropriate place. I was trailing another rider down a short steep descent that then lead us over the tracks and into a left handed turn. This was a fairly fast section and I allowed my momentum to get me alongside the other guy’s left as we jumped the tracks. From what I can speculate because it all happened so fast, I’m sure he didn’t know I was there and as we approached the left hander, I got pinched and made contact with the course marker which got me loose and turned me into the guy. I lost balance, fell into him and his bike and then hit the ground. I shook it off and tried to remount but my rear brake was sticking and the wheel wouldn’t turn so I was stopped dead in the middle of the course when a group of riders came tearing though and I made more contact with guys. I made it to the edge of the course and tried to free up the brake pad, but discovered they were both in the lock position. Then I noticed the right brake/shift lever was activated and stuck in the open position. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what was keeping it like that. The chain had fallen off so I fiddled with that and then went back to the shifter. Now that my adrenaline was subsiding, I started to piece together what must have happened. In the process of falling, the right side of my handlebar must have come in contact with the other rider’s spokes and sheared the rubber covering on the top of the brake/shifter and broke some plastic inside causing it to hang up. After pulling out a broken piece and realigning the plastic, it closed and the brake released. But, by now it was race over. I was not confident in the shifter’s integrity and I was, for the 2nd day in a row, DFL. I humbly walked the bike back to the start/finish line and announced to the officials I was retiring from the race resulting in my first DNF (did not finish) of the season.
Although I felt pretty good physically, this was a major blow mentally and lead to a week totally off the bike and some serious soul searching. Next
up was supposed to be NECCS #5 in Sterling, MA.