Rider Down...

"Rider down" were the first two words in the voicemail I found at 7:47am - shortly after (we thought) this morning's ride had ended. Unfortunately for one of us, the ride ended with bang (as in "crash boom bang"). By the time I got the voicemail and contacted the rider, he was in sight of home (and his wife) so he gets credit for limping home unassisted.

The attached pictures tell much of the story in graphic detail, the helmet will be retired to the helmet hall of fame (getting crowded), and the rider may be joining me near the back of the pack with the rest of the "we understand that we're not 12 years old anymore" crowd.

As is tradition, I will not disclose the identity of the victim - for that key piece of information you will need to get on a bike and join a ride to get the lowdown firsthand. For those of you on the sidelines saying "jeeze, the couch is looking better and better with every email I get from those guys" you need to recognize a couple of things:

• Nothing ventured nothing gained
• Some have the skill and judgement to avoid the "big" crash, you can be one of those people if you so choose.
• It is always an option to watch the carnage from the back of the pack
• There must be something to this MTB thing if these guys keep riding after all that crap

That's all the news for today. Thursday night ride will be a "game time" decision around 8:30 so let me know if you are interested. I am heading out of town on Saturday for 8 days, so will not see you until the week of the 11th. Have a great week and remember that "pain is temporary, glory is forever." Chris