Fuck.

So it hurts to type so this'll be quick. I made the split at the top of the climb, looked around to see if my teammate was still behind me, and next thing you know, I'm on the ground. FUCK. My bike was all bungled up, and it took me forever to fix it. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to catch back on, but to my surprise, the front of the field slowed up (for the first time of the day -- the winner AVERAGED 29.8 mph for a 83 mile race). I chased back to the field, and was doing a great job fighting for position towards the finale (a steep, 1-mile climb). I was maybe 7 k from the finish, and my fucking tire went flat. I got a new wheel, and chased hard, eventually catching the back of the field, just under 4 minutes down. FUCK.

I'm fine -- a raspberry on my hip and shoulder, and a downright nasty cut on my elbow that might need to be stitched. Nothing that will stop me from racing tomorrow. I was however forced to eat dinner and brush my teeth with my right hand (I'm a lefty). You try stabbing blueberries with a fork with your non-dominant hand. It's hard. Trust me.

Thanks to everyone for the concern. And Heidi for the complement.