Why Don't I Race Cyclocross?

I get this question a lot and believe me it's not because I don't want to. Oh I do.

I found a bunch of old photos that I burned on a CD a while a go. So let me tell you a little picture story. (and I wanna play with the photo formatting)

September 14th 2002, Fairview Dome Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite.
 
The biggest chuck of Granite in T-Meadows. I don't know much of it's history except what it did to me.

The route is called "Lucky Streaks" it's a Royal Robbins classic sandbagged 5.10d that should be a 5.11c (yeah yeah I know the rating system stopped at 5.10 when it was put up)

Bruce, Salah, Wilson "Dokie" and myself set off about 7:00 just after the sun starts warming the rest of the earth up, but we're on the west side of the rock so no sun for us 'till after lunch.
 
I lead the first pitch, it was a sleeper, maybe a 5.8, the rock was cold. I was in to Ice Climbing too so the cold didn't usually bug me but that day was just different.

I was climbing good though, in a good groove, up 10 feet place some pro, clip it, rinse repeat...

Bruce and Salah were roped up, and I was climbing with my bro Dokie.
  You can make out Salah starting the 3rd Pitch, Dokie belaying me up to the Ledge (I'm the third guy in white) after he lead the 2nd pitch. This is the last photo of me before things went wrong. There are no photos of what happened next (although I wish there were).

I took back over the lead and and started up the Crux pitch. I was standing with my left foot in a crack, right flagged out on the face for balance, placing a Blue Cam (can't remember the make or size) with my right hand, when my left hand popped out of the crack. I had a fairly heavy pack on and so it pulled me backwards into a flip. Cool no problem I'd fallin' on rope before was the first thought, then PAIN!!! the next millisecond later... My left foot didn't pop out of the crack causing my Tib/Fib shattered right at the ankle.

I never had an experience like that before, I was in pain I never felt before falling faster and faster, I felt the first peice of pro pop out. I remember hearing Dokie yell "OH SHIT A ZIPPER", then 3 more go, BAM, BAM, BAM. Then I really though that was it, I was going to deck and I knew there was no way I was going to live.

A little yellow #2 Metolius (sp?) cam stuck and didn't pop. I felt the tug on my harness, the force through me in to the wall and I blacked out.

I woke up about 5 seconds later and 60 feet lower screaming my head off. In addition to my left ankle, I had a good concussion, a chuck skin taken out of my right eyebrow and my right ankle. and I didn't know it at the time but one of the three Nalgeen bottles in my backpack had broken 3 ribs when I slammed into the wall. The bottle broke too, yeah a Nalgeen, it's my now my spare change jar.

The luckiest thing of my life happened next, the party that was following us was a couple from Germany and the husband was with their version of YOSAR He quickly got me to the ground and bandaged me up.
 

OH NO! YOU’RE NOT GOING TO CARY ME OUT WITHOUT PAIN KILLERS!

It was a rough mile down hill to the trucks on a "climbers trail" (a few sticks kicked out of the way through the trees and rocks)
 

They didn't give me a choice.

 
We went to an ER (I can't remember what one) and they dopped me up, took x-ray and tried to get me to have surgey that night... Uh no, was I was just layed-off with no medical insurance, I needed to get home and call the family for help.

But there was no way that was going to happen that night so we went back to camp and I started in on the liquid pain killers. It was a really rough night, but good drugs took the edge off.
 
This is the result. A Titanium upgrade, 7" plate with 7 screws, two more on the other side and one in my hip from where they needed to take a bone plug to patch up the smashed bits.

I don't run anymore. You might see me in a fast walk or a kinda Skip run Skip Run limp, but nothing I could race Cross with, and jumping over barriers forget it, my ankle would be swollen up the size of a pumpkin the next week, I know I DNF'd the two races I tried to do.

So now I wrench, Cross is so much fun with such a great group of people I couldn't stay away and hands in the pits are needed.

But there is always Single Speeding, Road and Track... You better believe I'm going to start training as soon as this collar bone heals up and I can get back on a bike.