Steve tells all. TNR review and view.

On a beautiful evening as the climax of the Tour was playing out, Our little peloton got organized early. Guys were taking short pulls before we got to Huron road. With that prologue, we headed down Luxemburg road at 23-24 mph into a mild headwind. Bob brooked no wimping out on Rendezvous or even Valley road as we kept going east to add a few extra miles. We upped the pace as County A lost altitude on the way to C, then headed towards Casco. Just before Casco, I was on the verge of losing contact with the group, so I was glad for the momentary slow down within the city limits (to about 20 mph) so I could catch back on.

2 miles out of Casco, I got a lesson on the dangers of a 20 rider single file pace line on an unfamiliar route. The leaders slowed down to make a right turn onto County K, and by the time the slowdown made it to the end of the line it was a quick hard grab of the brakes. Before I knew it, my front wheel was grinding hard against the back tire of the bike in front of me. I don't think I actually saw any smoke, but my front tire reeked like a NASCAR racer doing burnouts after a race. Eventually, I got behind the wheel without going down on the pavement. But I darted right, and there was no road to the right, only a deep ditch. I thought for a millisecond that I might ride it out, but as I let the bike find its way through the weeds, the front wheel dropped out from underneath me, and I tumbled head first into the ground. I unclipped as I somersaulted, and the bike came to rest 10 or 15 feet down the road from me. It seemed like a soft landing, so I popped up right away and grabbed my bike, looking for damage. Fortunately, there was none, so I got back on and finished the ride, actually feeling stronger during the second half than during the first.

I feel pretty good today; just a little stiff in the hip flexor, and I'm sure that will be gone by tomorrow. I just have one request. Todd, next week don't even mention crashing on the ride. I'd hate to have to start thinking of you as a prophet!