Mishaps and Injuries

The end of my 2008 season is near. The Mt. Tam Hillclimb on 9/27 will likely be my last mass-start race in 2008.

I'd been planning to keep giving it 100% and race most weekends through August and September, but the last few weeks have been filled with mishaps and injuries. First I had some soreness left over from cramping at Winters. Then I got hit by a car on 8/21 and had to skip San Ardo. Today I fell while warming up for the Giro di SF and skipped it. Today's fall was a shock to the body more than anything. The soreness in the right wrist probably won't be anything like the sprain I had in the left wrist from the car incident. I'm hoping to be training normally on Wednesday.

My bikes' have been through just as much. The Scott CR-1 didn't look too bad, but the shop recommendation was to avoid racing a carbon frame after a serious crash. Good news: Got repair money (full quote from shop) from the driver's insurance. Bad news: Can't get ahold of a Scott replacement frame until November. I might get a different frame, but haven't decided on what to get.

My alternate bike, a 1994 Waterford w/ Campy Chorus, has been more or less mothballed since I last needed it when my Scott got overhauled in the Spring. It really wasn't race ready today for the Giro, skipping a bit in some gear combinations and some wobbles in the wheels that got me to open up the brakes a fair bit, especially the rear. Chris at RMC let borrow a BH G4 demo bike this weekend (it was on my list of frame replacement options) but I wasn't going to race a borrowed bike in a crit. Well, the fall threw it a bit more out of whack, particularly the front wheel. Bike worries were probably the most unshakable reason I skipped the race today. I thought it was a good idea to let my body heal, but could have convinced myself to race if the bike had been OK.

First step: fix the Waterford. I'd already had an appointment scheduled at the shop for tomorrow morning (no time was open last week). They'll move over the Ultegra 10 triple components from the Scott, so I'll have a new drivetrain and will be able to use my regular Shimano Powertap wheelset, which is also being fixed (front wheel needs a rebuilt after car crash, rear needs a good true). A modern drivetrain and good wheelset will fix most of my issues with the Waterford and take the pressure off getting a new carbon frame right away. I'll also be able to get power data again, which I've been missing.

Next: Decide on a new frame and order new components. For the components, I'm looking at a mix of SRAM Red and Force (all Red, except for ceramic BB and Powerdome cassette, which seem pointlessly expensive relative to Force). From the early online reports, I was enthusiastic about the 2009 Dura-Ace but it's ridiculously expensive (2x Red for crank and 50% more for shifters). Apart from the frame and drivetrain, I'll salvage parts from the Scott. Only the bar, frame, and front wheel was rendered unusable. Other stuff was scuffed, but can be used.

I'm also on the lookout for end-of-season deals on 2007/2008 complete bikes, given how the retail cost of a frame and components seems to pretty much equal the retail cost of a complete bike from a given manufacturer. For example, I paid $2800 for my CR-1 Pro in 2005 (and in 2008, it was still selling for around that), but the retail frame cost is $2000. Bare frames hit a different consumer segment than complete bikes with mid-range components, I guess.

In any case, the various mishaps aren't all that serious and prior to August, I'd been pretty lucky, so there's no complaining.