Crash and Burn!

It is bound to happen if you race or ride a bike long enough..... You will crash at some point. Even when it's no fault of your own, People get edgy when they see someone go down and can not regulate their reactions. The past weekend was Le Tour De Mont Pleasant. We had a team plan to ride for Trae, as it was his hometown race. I had no issues with riding for him and burying my aspirations for a weekend. In the criterium, one of the MCG guys crashed on the first lap right next to me...... my reaction was just hope that he slides to my outside and soon enough I had averted one mishap..... As the race went on a Priority Health guy (Alex) went solo and the gap stayed anywhere from 15-30 seconds the entire race. After going to the front several times and getting very little cooperation to bring Alex back, we were resigned to the fact that it would be a field sprint..... Coming into 5 laps to go another Priority guy took off and I was in the pain cave.... But that is when you learn to dig deep and just ride yourself blind. The move he made wasn't coming back, so I decided to sit near the front and wait for the sprint.... Well it is not easy to sprint when you go into a corner 4 wide and the guy on your inside crashes and slides directly into the perfect exit line..... So I just drifted further out and let him continue his asphalt surfing..... I may have kicked the guy on the way by "inadvertantly". By the time this was said and done the race was 5-10 seconds ahead of me and the was 250 meters left...... So needless to say I just cruised in and was already focused on Sunday.
After some beer pong and fun at Trae's on Saturday night we began the road race to clear skies, which was nice. From the gun it was ON.... I have never been in a road race that was just guns blazing from the word go. Later I found out we averaged around 30 MPH for the first 15 miles, which is sweet. Right around the 15 mile mark I see people acting stupid..... this was due to a crash at the head of the field and I was sitting in the middle recooperating after an attack I made. I was in perfect position to thread the needle between Collin's bike laying ahead of me to my left and his body to my right..... Then I felt a hard thump from behind. Someone ran into my back wheel and sent me directly into Collin's downed bike. I hit his seat or seatpost and went for a ride. I saw the asphalt coming for me as I headed face first into the ground. I put my left arm in front of my face to protect myself..... I don't remember hitting the ground or feeling pain. My first thought was, "Shit, now I have to chase back on." Before I was even on my feet I was grabbing for my bike in a tangle of bikes laying around me. I got my bike up to realize my chain was wrapped around my pedal, my hoods were both bent facing the opposite side of my bike, and my front brakes were rubbing.... I got my chain on in about 15 seconds and took off. I adjusted my brakes on the fly and wrenched my hoods back into a normal position. I was in pursuit of the group and they were flying along. I probably lost about 75 seconds in the crash. I redlined it for about 5-10 minutes and got within 15 seconds only to see attacks go right at the moment when I thought I would make it back. At that point I was DONE. The race went up the road and I couldn't help my team in any way for the rest of the race..... EPIC FAIL! Soon after I realized that my elbow was throbbing and there was significant pain in my forearm and elbow. I ended up stopping and waiting for Collin who had crashed also, and we rode home in groups that started behind us.
I guess it could have been worse, but when you crash like that and brake a insignificant bone, the least of your worries is what may be broken. I was more concerned with doing my deed for my team. On Monday I went to the ER to find out my radial head has a crack in it and I have a broken bone in my elbow. So much for being the one who doesn't crash.............