Lots of riders…check; Smell of embrocation…check; Crashes…check!Today I raced in the Sint-Kruis kermesse which had a total of 217 riders. The JBCA riders at the race consisted of Scott, Evan, Casey, Alex, Arne, and I. We rode as a team from the house to the race in Sint-Kruis which is located just on the East fringe of Brugge. It was an easy 45-50 minute spin to the registration which was located in a small bustling bar. When we arrived, we parked our bikes outside the pub. A man approached us with his camera slung around his neck asking if he could take our picture. He asked for each of our names and took a photograph of each of us. We made a quick trip in and out of the bar to receive our numbers. After pinning everything on, we began our warm up and the search for the start. The course was another four corner loop with wide roads, one roundabout, and a few parked cars. After doing an opener and cruising around for about 30 minutes we found the lead car, which was located just outside the bar. We made our way over to the lead car and stood waiting for the start making sure that we would be situated in the front row. After a few minutes, groups of riders would line up trying to place themselves in the front. When the start time approached, confusion began to rise. Nobody really knew what was going on or why we weren’t starting. The group kept inching forward until we were around the corner and in the main stretch. 10 minutes went by and we still were waiting to start. The race officials announced something over a loudspeaker (not sure what it was) and guys began casually rolling off the front of the group. I made sure I rolled off and was still located at the front of the peloton. After riding through the start/finish area, riders made their way back to the corner to begin the lining up process again. Finally, the small lead car pulled ahead of the pack and the official sent us off.
It was a typical kermesse start with guys jockeying for position and everyone trying to move up. The start of the race began at about 50 km/hr clip as we approached the roundabout. Like you see on television, the peloton split right down the middle and snaked its way around the obstacle. I took the left side which seemed to be the straightest line through the rotary. I was able to move up to about 20th position and made sure I would stay there. I looked to my right and saw my teammate, Evan cruising down the sidewalk moving up into position. We then came to the first corner which we approached slowly and sprinted out of with an all out effort. I was still maintaining my position on the left side of the peloton, drafting and saving energy until a rider, directly in front of me, apparently broke a skewer or had a mechanical of some sort. He was sent right over his handlebars resulting in riders slamming on their brakes. The rider to my right skidded sideways, slightly, hitting my wheel and leaving me no option to get around the down rider. I hit something and went over my handlebars managing to slightly roll on the ground and hop up to run to safety on the muddy and grassy shoulder. I watched the peloton cruise by avoiding my bike as it slid to the middle of the road. I sat down, frustrated and in pain, holding my arm and shin. After the peloton raced by a medic came by to help the other rider and myself. They loaded us up in the ambulance and hurried us back to the start/finish. It was definitely efficient. My dad, who was watching the race, met me at the ambulance. He later told me that he heard Passage over the announcements and had to ask another spectator what was being said. The lady told him it was just descriptions of the roadway or something. He thanked her and began making his way down the course until she ran him down and told him I was coming around in the ambulance. After meeting my dad, we made our way to a small garage where the medical station was located. There, I would be able to assess my injuries. I managed to somehow scratch or bruise every extremity. I was lucky, though, as they were very small road abrasions. I think the worst were my wrists and shin being very tender and bruised. My bike was also slightly damaged as the bars were twisted, shifter lightly mangled, and scuffed bar tape. Everything seemed fairly minor, which is good considering what happened to the other rider who sustained a scraped up face, black eye, and banged up knees, hands, and elbows. Alrighty, it’s time to head off to the bike shop to get some new parts and tape to prep for the next race.
The pictures below show some of the minor injuries involved with bike and limb.
