2008 US Open of Mountain Biking
I have finally found the energy to sit at my computer and write a race report of my experience this past weekend at the 2008 US Open at Diablo Freeride Park. I went into this summer like a little child with a big, outlandish dream that I whole heartedly believed would happen. If it wasn’t for my recent encounter with the unexpected nature of fate it would’ve happened. My initial plan was to live with some friends in Vernon, New Jersey where we would train at Diablo and then travel together to the races. Living in Houston most of my life I have never had the opportunity nor the resources to train consistently and focus on bike racing. This was my chance and I had the full confidence that I would be racing at pro speed by the end of summer.
At the beginning of the year I broke my wrist riding bikes and was out the entire season. Towards the end of my injury I made some [minor] adjustments to my bike and rode with my cast on. This was the same year that I discovered gravity racing and my focus shifted from cross country to downhill riding which I instantly fell in love with. The US open would be my first downhill and dual slalom race without a broken wrist. After I recovered I began riding the slalom course at my school and rode Diablo the week before and felt great. Perhaps I was too confident and should have taken my first race easy and with more patience.
Someone once told me that until something drastic happens to you, you will never change. This past week has been the most toughest, painful, and drastic event that I have experienced. I have learned a lot in just a few days about myself and my outlook on life. I believe everything happens for a reason and sometimes the best things in life happen to you when they aren’t planned. My perfectly planned and much anticipated summer has completely changed. However, I have a new summer awaiting me that I know will teach me something as unexpected as this accident.
As with every race I compete in I write a race report. This is my report for the 2008 US Open of Mountain biking-my most extreme race report yet.
Sunday Downhill Finals and my Helicopter Ride
I woke up feeling tired and sore but I was excited to race. I knew I had the ability to finish on the podium and I expected nothing less. When I got to Diablo I only warmed up with two runs because I was tired and didn’t want to burn myself out before the race.
I went up to the top of the mountain and sat with the rest of the women talking with each other and trying to stay relaxed. I looked up at the clock and it read 1:00. My race start was 1:08 so I put on my goggles and lined up. I kept repeating in my mind words of encouragement and petty attempts to keep my nerves calm. I love racing and no matter how hard I try to fool myself I get over excited at the start line. My butterflies were fluttering and my adrenaline was pumping. My hands gripped loosely and ready as I listened for the beeps that sounded for seconds. Five seconds to go….2 seconds….I’m off!
I was in a state of extreme focus. I knew there were people everywhere cheering but I couldn’t see anyone. All I could think of was to ride smooth and fast. And I was…I felt faster than I had been on any run but at the same time I also felt tired, a feeling that I tried hard to ignore.
I rode into the rock section with confidence as it was where I gained most of the time on my competitors. I flew off a rock drop and into the next section where I suddenly, unexpectedly flew off my bike. I still don’t know what happened in that moment or what I did to cause myself to crash but I crashed and hit hard. My crash was acrobatic as I flipped over my handle bars and landed on the back of my neck. As I lay in the rocks I suddenly could see all the people around me, their faces with startled expression. I started counting the seconds that I was losing but I wasn’t able to move. I looked up and saw someone holding my bike and everyone began cheering. “I have to get up…I have to finish this race” I stumbled upon my feet and grabbed my bike-everyone cheered again. I jumped on my bike and rode through the rest of the rock garden as I could hear the cheering become even louder until finally I was back in my zone and it faded into silence.
I didn’t feel injured at that moment, perhaps it was my adrenaline mixed with my determination that was running so strongly through my body. I rode all my lines, the rock slab, the little jumps, and the fast burms that flowed me into the field for the finish. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I hit the pro jump. All I can remember is looking at it and thinking “I can do that”. Never have I done a jump even close to that size and I hadn’t practiced it in my practice runs. With foolish courage I pedaled off the jump.
I don’t remember being in the air or even landing the jump. My friends told me I landed the jump and then fell down with the bike. I woke up ten feet in front of the finish line with people all around me, some of them my friends and some I didn’t recognize. Once again I couldn’t move except this time I wasn’t able to get up. My helmet felt as if it was strangling me and I begin shouting for someone to take it off because I couldn’t move my arms. I felt strong pain running through my neck all the way down my body and into my legs. The EMT medics rolled me onto a stretcher and put me in the ambulance where it drove me to the helicopter (my first helicopter ride!) that airlifted me to Morristown hospital.
I somehow convinced the EMT to take off my armor and racing pants off without cutting them. In the hospital I was brought into a room with bright lights and doctors all around me. After the doctors checked every inch of my body I had full body CAT scans where they would find a broken C6 vertebra.
The first few hours in the hospital I was more disappointed at the fact that I knew I wouldn’t be riding for a long time than at the fact that I was injured. It has been a long time where I have really cried hard and in this moment I could not stop crying. I cried so hard I thought I was going to stop breathing. My pain of emotion and frustration was stronger than the pain I could feel in my neck. I remember the doctor asking me if I was crying because I was scared and I answered “No, I’m not scared. I am upset because I will never be able to ride my bike again”
The next four days and three nights at the hospital would be a test of perseverance. I was accidently placed in the children’s hospital and lost close contact with the neuro- surgeon that originally looked at me. It would take two days and a lot of effort with the hospital to get my (first day scheduled) MRI’s taken that would confirm if any damage was done to my spinal cord (thankfully there was no damage). I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything for two days and instead was hooked up to an IV that was pumping fluid into my body to keep me hydrated. To add the already uncomfortable situation I had to have a catheter put in me since I was not allowed to move. The second day it stopped working and when I told the nurse she didn’t believe me. Finally after six hours I had a new nurse on duty and she took it out. These are just a couple of the struggles I encountered while in the hospital and it would have been unbearable if it wasn’t for my company during the whole experience.
My older brother Dave stayed with me the entire time. When I was able to eat he bought me good food so I wouldn’t have to eat hospital food and was the source of my calmness. We lightened up the mood of the whole situation by taking funny pictures of me and my bed ridden state. His girlfriend even came up one day and gave me a private concert singing songs and playing her guitar. If it wasn’t for him I would not have been able to make it.
The EMT who carried me off the race course also came to visit me. He told me that when he was strapping me to the board all I was asking of him was to carry me across the finish line so I could finish the race and when he said it doesn’t count unless I had my bike with me, I demanded that he drag it next to me. I laughed when he told me that story because I don’t remember any of it. He was a very kind man and I am thankful for all his help.
When I left the hospital I was in my gown because I didn’t have any clothes to change into. To add to my already hilarious image I had Einstein hair and was carrying my motocross helmet and goggles. The security guard stopped me because he thought I was escaping the hospital!!
Me and Dave decided we had to lighten up the mood of the hospital experience so we took some funny photos.....
The First Days of the US Open
Friday Day of US open
I’m sitting on top of the slalom course ready to practice and wondering why I am the only rider up there. The course is a short with a fun combination of burms and quick transitions of left-right-left turns. There is a jump at the end that boosts you into the sprint to the finish. Once you fly off the jump you land on loose gravel and a dirt composure making for a dangerous and brave sprint to the finish.
I rode the slalom course until they closed practice. I’m new to slalom racing so I had to be coached by fellow riders that you are supposed to weave in and out of the flags. After slalom practice I geared up for downhill practice, grabbed my DH bike, and jumped on the ski lift. The weather was beautiful-the perfect day for riding down dangerous mountain sides on a bike. It had been raining the entire week so the sunshine and clear blue skies were a welcome and happy relief. The view from the lift is really amazing I never thought of New Jersey as a mountainous state. Smiling under my full face helmet I couldn’t help thinking how happy I was to be there.
Practice went well and I felt fast. The course was still slightly muddy from the week’s rain but for the most part it was well packed and race worthy. The beginning of the course began as a straight drop into a sharp right turn that brought you into a technical rock garden. The rock garden had many different lines one could take, the faster ones being the most dangerous. I tested my skills by taking the faster lines and after a couple runs had them dialed. The technical portion of the course was my favorite part to ride. You walk the course and think you yourself “This stuff isn’t even ridable” then you get on your bike and fly right over it, it’s the best feeling.
After the rocks portion you ride over a big slab of steep rock that brings you into fast burms, with a couple of fun jumps stuck in between. This flows the rider into the end of the course. The end of the course opens up into a big grassy field with two options. The first option is to take the red bull pro jump (a 40 ft gap). The second option is to go around the jump which is much more safe but slower. It is a common occurrence in downhill racing to compromise safety for seconds on the clock. The run is short but nonetheless an exhausting demand of physical strength and stamina. I have done a 65 mile cross country race and raced half marathons, but the fatigue I feel after a downhill run is like nothing I have ever felt. It leaves you breathless with the feeling of the run left in every muscle of your body.
I was tired after practice but I couldn’t think about it. I had to quickly get ready for dual slalom qualifiers. I was racing against six other females which isn’t a big field but considering not a lot of women do this it was a good turn out. I ended up qualifying third.
Saturday: Slalom Finals and Downhill Qualifying
There were fourteen women of all ages in the downhill race. We went off in thirty second increments for the downhill qualifying run. My run started off fast as I rode through the rock garden with my smoothest ride yet, but the second half of the run could’ve been faster. “Don’t worry” I told myself…”It is only qualifying, tomorrow you will connect it and it will be great.” I ended up qualifying with the 5th fastest time.
I gulped down a drink and multi-tasked my efforts as I pushed my bike and ate an energy bar up to the slalom course for the finals. Slalom racing is determined by means of elimination. There are two courses and a rider gets a chance on each course against one person. Whoever wins the races goes on while the loser is eliminated until it boils down to the final showdown of the last two riders. It’s a fun race to watch and even more fun to compete in, although its nerve racking as well!
I easily beat my first competitor, but as I began to push my bike up the hill I could hear the rubber of my tire rub against the gravel and my stomach dropped—I had a flat!!! I wasn’t going to have enough time to change it!! Luckily my friend noticed my problem and ran to me, grabbed my bike and changed the flat in record time. I ran up the hill and got there within seconds of my start time. Out of breath I jumped on the start gate, had a good run, and advanced to the next round.
It was close but my next competitor beat me by 0.9 seconds on the first run. I was a little nervous because she had a faster time than me in qualifying and was a good rider. One more chance was all I had to advance and I had to do it with more than 0.9 seconds on her. I took a deep breath and pedaled out of the start gate. She was right next to me going off the jump and pulled away. I thought I had lost it but when she landed the jump she went squirrely on the loose, rocky ground. I used this chance to pull away for the win and advanced to the final round.
It was now about 7 pm and I had been riding since 10 am. I was tired but determined and excited to race. I had one competitor left and I knew she wasn’t going to be easy to beat. She was a nice lady from Australia who has been riding gravity for a long time. Although we are competitive, most the women that ride are good sports and I have met a lot of friends through racing. We wished each other good luck and sprinted off out of the start gate. It was a good fight but she took first and I second. It was a fun day and I went home tired and happy.
Recovery update
At first it was difficult for me to walk because my back and hip were so swollen but that has gone down and I am doing better everyday. I even got some summer scarves so I can wear my neck brace with style ;)
Looking back on everything that has happened I have decided that I am more thankful than disappointed at this occurrence. 8 weeks with a neck brace isn’t going to be easy but it is nothing compared to a life of being paralyzed. I am extremely lucky that I wasn’t hurt worse and I’m going to make the best of it. I am going to use this moment of my life to become stronger and focus on other aspects of my life that I have been neglecting (including my posture!!). I will be focusing on my artwork and taking up a new hobby of photography.
I am thankful for my health and I will never take it for granted. I am even more grateful for my family and those around me who have helped me through this.
People ask me all the time if I will continue to ride and race mountain bikes. Despite all of this I still carry the same dream; in twelve weeks I will be back on my bike. I have too much passion and love for the sport, I feel more alive when I ride then when I do anything else. However, I will not forget what happened and will come back with patience and take it slowly. I will remember that I am not indestructible, but neither am I ordinary.
