We left Stacie’s early yesterday and did the 5 hour drive from Louisville.   It is a super pretty drive to Knoxville and then it skirts the Great Smokey Mt. National Park and then to Asheville.

We got here and unpacked at the hotel.  Trudi was pretty nervous about getting her wrist band and figuring out the parking situation, so she took off and I dressed cozy warm and rode over.  Asheville is pretty hilly and I was a little lost trying to get across the river, but meandered my way over to the Biltmore Estates.

I bought the wristband for $16.05 (photo below) and then rode the next 3 miles through the estate to the course.  It was pretty cold, upper 20’s, but the wind was constant.  Trudi got the last parking space at the venue parking and I found the car and striped down a little.

First the course.  It is super cool.  I like it a lot.  It is pretty much on the side of a wooded hill with a couple super steep climbs, run-ups, off-camber descents, technical stuff.  The field section is great too, a couple u-turns, a couple fly-overs, just a fun, hard course to ride.  But it is dry.   If it get wet, then it is going to be beyond technical, really too much.  They probably have a contingency for that, I’d hope, but didn’t see any “rain alternative” course marking.

There is one ride up that is going to be a run-up for most of the racers, until Sunday.  It is super steep and it too hard for a 39 x 28.  I’m looking for some compact cranks for Wednesday.

I have to say I felt pretty great riding over to the course and back.  Like super good.  Not sure if it was from not riding yesterday or what, but I was climbing seated, with plenty of power.  That is the good side.

The bad side was that I fell and hurt myself.  It remains to be seen how badly, but as of now, I can am hurt.  I was going down the steepest descent to a road and my phone rang, I got a little crossed up and launched over the bars.  I landed on my side and have some rib issues.  But I’ve hurt my ribs a ton and can race with that pain.

My real problem is my good thumb.  My left one.  It is hurt.  I’m not exactly sure how bad.  I think it is broken, pretty low, near the wrist, but sometimes I’m wrong.  I called Stacie and we’re on the same page.  See how it is and take appropriate action.   It really doesn’t matter if it is broken or not, it doesn’t work.  I iced it all night, ate half a bottle of ibuprofen and wrapped it tightly in Coban.   I’m going to head over to the course and see if I can hold onto the brake lever this morning.  I couldn’t yesterday.   Sleeping last night was pretty non-existent.   Pretty tweaked.

There is very limited time to ride today.  I can get my thumb, and ribs I guess, x-rayed, and maybe I will today, but not before I go over to the course. I’m pretty sure there is anything to be done in one day.  The course is open from  11:50 – 12:30.

Okay, I still have a day and a half and am not panicked yet, but am close.  I might be after I ride, but not just yet.

George and Yuliya Welk, plus family (from Cable) were at Stacie’s when we pulled up yesterday. They are heading to Florida for a couple weeks.  It was a pleasant surprise.

This is the hill I went over the bars a while later. It is pretty steep.

This is the start of the hilly side of the course. It is super riding through the barn.

And this is just one of the run outs of the descending. Lot of relief in this course.

It hard to see, but this thumb is super swollen.

Best I could do as of now.  KU game in the background. Triple overtime.   Man, did that one take my mind off my woes. Rock Chalk.

This is the day I am supposed to be racing in Asheville.  Actually, all the Master men are racing today.   The course is only getting worse, more chewed up with more sketchy sections.  That will probably continue throughout the week, and only accelerate with forecasted precipitation.

But, alas, I’m not toeing the line today.   I went and got my body checked out, after I pre-rode the course and it was pretty much as I already knew.  My left thumb is broken, way low on the metacarpal (lowest bone in the thumb, towards the wrist).  Plus, I have two bad ribs.

I have been teetering back and forth, ever since leaving the doctor’s office, about racing today.  I have sort of prided myself in racing busted up a little, but this isn’t the right time for that.  I weighed the pros and cons and couldn’t justify it this time.  Plus, I’ve hardly slept for two nights straight.

Yesterday was a yin/yang  day.  I felt super, once again, riding over to the course.  So, I was stoked.  I was having a difficult time holding onto the bars, but it got better as I gripped more.

Once I got to the course, the course was open to pre-ride.  I rode two laps.  I was just barely able to maneuver around the course.  Every once and awhile I would hit a dip or root and it would send a shooting pain through my side.  That isn’t even addressing the problem holding onto the bars, without the ability to brake with my left hand.

So, I went to Blueridege Bone and Joint and got some x-rays.  Pretty much exactly what I thought.  Ribs are just ribs, but the thumb is something special.   It is my “best” thumb, my go to thumb now.  My right one is pretty jacked up permanently.

I called Stacie and she seesawed  back and forth, then finally gave me the go ahead to race.  But after thinking about it, overnight, I decided that it just isn’t worth it

By worth it, I mean I don’t really have anything to prove here.  I’ve been waffling back and forth about this for a while, but now it is pretty clear.   This really isn’t a good time to make a bad critical decision.  I know what I have achieved in the sport and want I hope to achieve. This isn’t really part of that.  Plus, I have plans for my thumb later in my life.

Here’s my regret.  I regret that I don’t get to ride around this course at race speed.  I personally would love to see what this course rides like fast.  I have to admit, I am mildly surprised how well I feel riding my bike the last couple days.  I sort of lucked out, with some planning, to be riding my bike so quickly just now.  So good, I hate to not see what it would be like racing.

The course is perfect for me.  Hard climbing and technical descents.  Plus, heavy field riding.  I couldn’t have designed a better course for my current form.  So, that is just about the only regret.  I made a stupid mistake, so I don’t get the experience.  That isn’t a huge cost, really.

I think the course is great, but in reality, is too hard for the majority of the riders that are racing here.  There are a handful of guys that are talented enough to make use of this course, but for the masses, this course is too challenging.

And like I said yesterday, add precipitation to the course and it will become an epic ordeal.  I can’t imagine a bunch of juniors racing under those conditions this weekend.  There will be much too much off the bike sections to really make it a fair race.  And I think the field sections will become a quagmire too, really difficult.

So, I’m packing up and heading over to the race this morning, to watch my friend Shadd Smith race.  Then I’m getting in my van and driving back to Louisville, hang a night and then on to WIsconsin. I’m not sure whether I can ski or not.  I know I should be able to walk around in the Northwoods on snowshoes and enjoy.  I sure wish Bromont was around.  I miss that dog.

This is Dr. Craig Burnworth. He gave me some good insight about my options. He is a long distance trail runner and knows all about racing hurt. The one thing about getting hurt, recently, is running into super guys like him.

And this is Marshall Gordon, a guy I met at Starbucks after the casting of my thumb. I was drowning my sorrows in hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant. I predict he wins the Master’s 75+ today.

Here is my cast. At least it is removable. I formed it a tad so I can hold onto handlebars.

Photo of my x-ray. The dark line at the base of the thumb is the fracture.

Here is the whole lap.  6 minutes to 12 minutes is the technical sections.