the GOT bike

In 2003, I started my last road race. I didn't finish. Instead, I crashed out of the race in a section where I was turning a 53x12 top gear, quickly. I don't know my speed, but it was a bad one for crashing, especially on pavement which is consistently less forgiving to hit than trail. I lost some skin in various places, may have cracked my right ulna, definitely retired that helmet, but my bike and I were still able to ride, slowly, back to the start/finish area. Considering all the factors and potential for serious harm, which I did, I'd fared exceptionally well, but it was still my last road race. In my comparitively less experience racing on the road, I'd seen a number of pile ups, often been behind where they started in the pack, but had always managed to maneuver through a hole in the tumbling bodies and bikes. Mountain bikers have an advantage. We are used to avoiding obstacles and can bunny hop curbs. That had given me a false sense of confidence. The crash in 2...