Cannondale make great walking sticks
June 7, 2010
That was frustrating! Last Saturday i didn’t even complete one lap of the hilly 6km course based at Margam Park in the heart of South Wales.
Preparations for the race went to plan and i was feeling very confident as we were called up to our grid positions.
The only thing that was not going to plan was the weather, during Friday night the course went from being bone dry to soaking wet and incredibly slippery especially on the descents! And that’s where the weekend took a turn for the worse.
About 3km into the first of the six laps we had to complete, i was negotiating a slippery off camber decent which in hind sight i was taking to fast for the conditions, I slid sideways and landed on my right hand side in the undergrowth with a thump, still clipped into my pedals.
As i unclipped myself from my Cannondale Taurine i felt a sharp pain from my lower leg, i glanced down i could see blood gusshing out from a hole in my shin and a white shiny thing??…………….. my shin bone!
I used my Cannondale as a walking stick as i hobbled down the single track trying to stay out of my competitors way. I made it to the medical point at the bottom of the decent where a marshall radioed for medical assistance and from there i was taken to A&E. Five stitches later and a two hour drive back home, I’m typing this blog reflecting on what could have been. Before the accident i felt great, positioned perfectly for the the single track in ninth position waiting to pounce on one of Margam Park’s long steep climbs. But as they say ‘that’s racing’ and although I’m fed up of typing this, i am still full of motivation and firmly believe i can finish inside the top ten this year at National level. I have the equipment and the team behind me to do it and with that in mind i will not stop trying!
I have a compulsory two weeks off from any training so i have been using this time to clean and service my training and race bikes, i think my local bike shop are sick of the sight of me! Its good to have this break although it is not wanted. I will be back better than before, after all it has been a busy year with a lot of international racing.
My next event is the Welsh championships which takes place in Buith Wells on the Sunday 27th June.
I will be using this race as preparation for the fourth round British National Series which take place in Dalby Forest the weekend after.
Team mate and current Welsh Champion Ben Roff will be looking to defend his jersey, which i know he will do right down to the finish line! Best of look to him and my other team mate Alex Baker. This young fellow is full of racing and has suffered with some rotten luck this year but has handled it like a true pro, i think Dalby will suit ‘the mag’ down to the ground, quite literally.
For now, Full Gassss!!!
Chris Andrews
