Snake creek time trial #2 aftermath

Yesterday was not a good day to be on a bike ,for me, at all.Funny how some days you can be on top of your game while other days things just totally suck.Well yesterday things just sucked.Not sure why.I felt good,the weather was better than last months round,but everything that could go wrong did go wrong.You know you're in for a bad day when not 2 miles into the race you miss a turn and end up having to backtrack a couple miles.Luckily a gate made it obvious that me and about 10 others had made a wrong turn.You would think after as many of these things I have done in the past that I would have noticed the missed turn.Nope,I just followed the group not thinking a thing of it.I was noticing a few things that didn't looked right but never even realized we were going the wrong way until one of the lead women started heading back my way yelling(at the top of her lungs) "MOTHER F'r over and over again.That made me laugh.

So once we got back on course I tried to put the miscue behind me and just go about my business at hand.We still had a long way to go so that 5 minute detour certainly wasn't the end of the world.Funny how something like that gets in your head though.

The first 7-8 miles of this thing is always the hardest for me.It seems to take me forever to warm up.For the most part,this 7 miles is nothing but a gradual climb.Once I get finished with the first section I always feel like I've settled down and I can just fall into my own rhythm.Not today though.Today I felt like I just could not catch my breath.Even on the few sections that I can typically get my heart rate down nothing was happening.My heart rate was staying pegged.My low back was killing me too.The low back is always an issue but today it seemed way worst.
Not only was I feeling terrible but 3 miles into this thing I hit something and broke a spoke then 5 miles in I make myself endo and bash my knee up pretty good.Today is just not my day.

So in a nut shell I'm feeling like i haven't ridden a bike in 2 years,my front wheel has a broke spoke(wasn't sure if that thing was about to taco at any minute or not)and my knee is killing me from the crash.I'm not even 7 miles into this thing yet.I want my mommy LOL

Anyway,to make a long story short,things never did get better.I reached the half way point 20 minutes behind my normal time and decided to call it a day.Out of 4 years of doing this race I have never not finished.Today I just didn't have the mental toughness to continue on.

Didn't take any pictures but did get a couple videos.

This is of one of my two falls.This isn't the one I hurt my knee on but one after that fall.

snake creek fall from mark d on Vimeo.

This one of the final descent.

snake creek from mark d on Vimeo.