Better get on the bandwagon...or get lost in time

It seems like everyone has started a blog these days, no matter who they are. Before history forgets me and my pitiful exsistance, I figured that I'd better record some of my thoughts so I'm not lost in the "non-blogging" world. Hey, that's some pretty intense stuff--how bout some fun?

So this is my blog! Strange that I'm starting it so late in 05, after almost all of my racing this year is over with...but better now than never.

For those of you who don't know, I'm recovering from a pretty serious mtb accident on Labor Day 05. While preriding the Kewaunee course for WORS #9, I hit a tree head on and busted my neck, jaw, and leg. Sounds bad? Feels even worse when you just started school at Madsion one week earlier. So on top of being overloaded with material to study, I have to refrain from riding my bike for a period of no less than five weeks. Wonderful.

So in the meantime, I've been recovering by riding the trainer. For those of you who haven't had the chance to ride the trainer every day for weeks on end DURING the season: You just haven't lived yet. Its like taking a thrilling ride on a rollercoaster--except that the rollercoaster is broken down at the top of the first 300ft drop and everyone on the ground is staring up at you, saying "man, I'm glad that I didn't go on that ride." Ironiclly, I seem to be on the rollercoaster by myself too.

So thats kind of what it feels like to ride a bike trainer outside, in the courtyard of your dorm room, during the racing season, while its sunny and 70 degrees outside. Its quite amazing how many looks you get from passerbys; sometimes girls asking "oh, how did you have that happen," and sometimes guys proclaiming "You must've been drunk when you did that."

The response is "no and no." First of all, I'm in the minority at the biggest party school in the United States in that I don't drink. Secondly, this accident didn't happen it me--it chose me. Somehow I have a hard time believing that when I'm riding down the trail, at a pretty normal pace, that I can suddenly hit a tree and break my neck and jaw. It just seems like the odds of this happening are so small that it must be a statistical error that some new freshman math major completely screwed up.

So I'm stuck in my rollercoaster at the top of the 300ft drop, and it seems like no one really cares. It's fun to look at and talk about me for a while, but its more fun just to stare.

Strangely enough, I'm not laughing.

Either way, I'm in a bind for the next few weeks. Injuries do suck, but I found a new motivation for next year's training schedule. It's all goin' down, all or nothing. I'm going to find out just how fast I can get next year on the mountain bike.

Hopefully I can get someone to come with me on rides still. Really, I'm not crazy...just furious about being forced to loose when I know I could win. Lets get it started now.......