All was going according to plan. I did a lot of Mountain Bike races and spend a lot of time on the bike. I also found a swim coach in a nearby town and she helped me a lot improving my swim technique. For the first time in my life I could feel that I was making progress in the water.
Well all of this changed when I went to do a Bike race on the weekend of the 9&10th of June. For the past five years, I think, I've been wanting to do the Kremetart Cycle race but every year something happen just before the race which force me not to go.
On the Saturday it was the 175km Stage road race. It was four stages making up the 175km and the stages were spread over the entire day. I enjoyed it and was really happy with my time finishing in 5h14.
The Sunday was the Mountain bike race and it was a 50km circular race going up the Soutpansberg mountain and back again.
It was going well up until the 42km mark. At some of the water points the volunteers would give us the position we were in and at the last water point they told me I am in position 13. I was pushing hard and overtook two guys and could see position nr.10 a few meters ahead of me. They warned us about the single track and I negotiated that well and was going down a gravel road which was smooth and probably five meter wide. So nothing serious or technical or so I thought.
As I came round the corner I lost control and couldn't make the corner and took a big tumble. According to my Garmin 910xt I went from 39.9km/h to 0km/h in 4 seconds. I got up and was feeling OK, gathering all my water bottles and bike computer that was a few meters away and started going again but soon felt that my shoulder was not good.
While I was cycling I was feeling with my left hand what was going on and felt some bone in my right shoulder moving. That's when realized something was wrong. The next 8km was the hardest of my life cycling with one hand and only able to use my front brake, but at least I finished the race.
Long story short when I got to the finish line the medics checked me out and send me to the Hospital. After X-rays they confirmed that I broke my Collarbone in two places and will have to undergo surgery. Within two hours I was checked in and in the theater where they inserted a plate and screws.
When I went for my post opp X-rays and check up, two weeks after surgery, they discovered that I also fractured one rib and cracked another.
For now it seems that the Knysna Big5 event this coming weekend is not going to happen. I am spending now a lot of time on the indoor trainer to keep the legs going and the Physio is also giving me a good work out to get the shoulder ready.
Luckily Ironman70.3 is only on the 9th of September and if I look after myself now I should be ready.
