Swim..Bike..Crash....
In my last post, getting out of a slump, I mentioned signing up for my first obstacle course race and my first triathlon, both taking place on April 20th. At that time of writing that post I didn’t even have a bike yet nor had I spent any time in a pool.
Obviously short on time, the next day I bought a pair of goggles and headed to the pool. It went almost as shitty as expected. I have always struggled with the breathing aspect of freestyle. I often finish the lap with my head out of the water using a Tarzan like stroke. Definitely not the most efficient form. I could feel the lifeguard’s eyes focused on me like a laser. I might as well have been swimming with a red flag with “drowning risk” written on it.
All the kids competing in a synchronized swimming competition also got a good laugh from my glorified doggy paddle. Not to be discouraged, I watched as many YouTube videos as I could and was back in the pool the following day. Don’t think I swam any better but at least there wasn’t a swimming competition going on.
As I was walking out, I crossed paths with a man who looked up at me like he had seen a ghost. At first, I was confused. Then it clicked, he had been swimming in the lane next to me the day before, I guess he thought I must have drowned.
Now for the bike..
I was fortunate to have a friend, (really more of an acquaintance considering we hadn’t talked much in the last 10 years) let me borrow his bike to see if triathlon was something I would enjoy before buying a bike of my own.
After picking up the bike and talking to Scott I quickly realized the bike he was letting me use was essentially the Ferrari of triathlon bikes, a Cervelo P3. A full carbon, speed machine capable of going nearly 40 MPH.
The next day I went to bike barn for a pair of triathlon shorts. Then proceeded to memorial park to take my first spin on the bike. I arrived mid-day to avoid the serious cyclist because I was the goon who would be riding a $8000 bike in running shoes. I didn’t want to buy cycling cleats yet and the idea of my feet being attached to the bike kind of sketched me out.
Nice and easy…
I took the first few loops nice and easy to get a feel for the bike. Then on the fourth lap I decided to try shifting gears. (For those not familiar with triathlon bikes, the gear shift is on aero-bars, way out in front of the handle bars. This is great for long straightaways because you become much more aerodynamic. However, you have almost zero control in this position and you must raise back up to the regular handlebar position to turn).
It didn’t take me long to get the gear shifting aspect down. I couldn’t help but smile, I had forgotten how enjoyable riding a bike was. It had been years since I had ridden one, and never one of this caliber. By the fifth lap I was warmed up so I started hammering down on the pedals to really see what the Cervelo could do.
“Holy shit, this is thing is quick” I thought to myself as I slowed down for a turn, only to quickly regain my speed. The next turn came sooner than expected. I was bent over on the aero-bars and didn’t have time to raise up to use the brakes. I could feel myself starting to lose control as the bike violently wobbled side to side. Headed right towards a group of big ass trees, still moving nearly 20 mph I made the split-second decision to lay it over. I crashed into the ground and slid a few feet ahead as the bike grinded to a halt.
“Damnit!”
I yelled as I rolled over and put pressure on my hip, which took the grunt of the fall. I got back on my feet, realized my left ankle had taken a serious beating, my shoulder was torn up, and I had a gash on my left hand.
Road Rash
Bike damage…
I assessed the bike, which lay off in the gravel beside the road. The chain was jacked up, the front wheel appeared broken and the aero-bars were broke off at the bolts. Pissed off and frustrated, I threw the bike over my shoulder and made the 1.5 miles walk back to my truck.
I headed home to clean up the road rash then headed strait to a bike shop to see how much the damage was going to be. I was expecting the worse, but also knew and still know nothing about bicycles. To my surprise the guy kicked the chain back on. Then he adjusted the front brake, which released the tire to spin freely again. I began to lighten up after realizing the bike wasn’t as broken as I thought. He ended up quoting me $300 for a new aero-bar. Never trusting only one person’s opinion, I took the bike to another shop, but they also gave me a similar quote.
I hesitantly gave Scott a call, unsure how he would react to me informing him that I crashed his bike less than 20 minutes into my first ride. To my surprise he was not upset and told me bring the bike by for him to look at. When I arrived, he lightened the mood by saying “I knew you were going to crash at some point, just didn’t think it would be so soon”
Bike-less
I ended up giving him back the bike, along with $300 for repairs. It was a costly test drive on a rocket ship of a bike, but I felt a relief to have everything squared away with no hard feelings.
Unfortunately, there is not enough time for me to source another bike before race day. I had to make the executive decision to hold off on my first triathlon until I have a bike of my own to crash. Maybe one with training wheels.
Rest assured, a little road rash is not going to stop me from a triathlon. Hell, I have my sights on an Ironman in the future and it will be that much more special knowing just how far I have come since day one of triathlon training.
Takeaway…
Doesn’t matter what your preparing for, you are going to face setbacks, of all shapes and sizes. They usually come when you least expect them too. Trust me, I know how frustrating it can be to have to postpone your goals. But think of them as an unavoidable part of the process. A process we must learn to enjoy regardless of its up’s and downs. In a strange way, I believe you receive more satisfaction after accomplishing a challenge that presented you with many setbacks.
So next time you crash and take a fall. Don’t stay frustrated about it for long. Dust yourself off and smile at the fact that no setback is going to keep you down!
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