So the GOOD news is that I cleared the "road gap" (that was really only a sidewalk gap). Been working on that for a few weeks now. I was always about 2 inches short, and DHS would tell me, "More speed..." 
Tonight I was feeling the mojo, probably because I wasn't wearing any pads
and decided to take his advice and "just hammer the speed and commit to the jump." I hammered the speed and committed to the jump, and gapped the sidewalk with about 6 inches to spare. It was beautiful, and I FELT it! The guys were all watching and totally erupted in cheers. I was ecstatic and trembling with adrenaline. I rolled up next to them.
"That was amazing!" I heard, as I cast my gaze to the sidewalk, beaming from ear to ear, somewhat embarrassed at the pride I felt in my little triumph. "Yeah," I said, "I totally felt it. It was really good." A moment of silence passed, then:
"Dude, you're fork's locked out," I hear DHS tell me.
NO! I do this on occasion. I forget to unlock my fork. Steve is amazed that I don't seem to notice it, and ride the same whether it's locked out or not. I look down. Sure enough, I turn the knob and my fork grows about 3 inches. I laugh at my own idiocy.
"Go back and do it again," he says with a smile. I sigh, "OK."
I pedal back to the entry of the run-in to the jump. I'm still trembling with adrenaline, but tell myself the same thing I told myself before I actually cleared it: Hammer the speed and commit. I don't take into account the added adrenaline and um... testosterone? maybe? I hammer the speed.
This time, not only do I clear the sidewalk, but immediately upon touchdown, I realize I've overshot by over a foot, and a large tree is fast approaching. On instinct, I lay the bike over, so as not to run into the tree, and plow hard into the dirt with my left shoulder. It happens so fast, I hardly know what has occurred, but I know I'm in pain, that I'm trying to stand but I'm dizzy, and that it was almost a lot worse than it really was.
Instead of the loud cheers that I was expecting from the guys, I see bodies rushing towards me. "Woah! You OK?"
"Um, I think so." I try out my left arm for range of motion. "Aaauuugh!!" I gasp. Yep, found it. Rotator cuff. I stagger a bit and slouch back to the ground. I'm dizzy. I tell the guys that I'll be OK, I just need a minute to get some blood to my head, as I lie on my back and prop my feet against the tree. I take a deep breath, and suddenly laugh. The guys want to know what's so funny.
"Well, all this week I've been really pissed off that I can't race this weekend because my friend is getting married and I have to be at the wedding. But now, if I can't raise my arm, well, it's like, no longer her fault that I can't race. Somehow it makes it easier..."
As soon as I'm able, we all get back on our bikes and head back to the shop. Im pretty certain it's either A/C or rotator cuff, as I've injured both before and have a good idea what to look for. Before heading back down south towards home, I stop at DHS's place for a bag of ice. Were I to visit the ER, I figure ice and Ibuprofin would be the diagnosis, so I simply take both and just head home.
So now, its been an hour or so. Although I can't raise the arm, I can keep it up once I help it up with the other arm, so I figure: rotator cuff. I should take it easy for a bit. Sigh. Oddly, not racing this weekend because I injured myself overshooting a gap is somehow much more comforting than not racing this weekend because I have to go to a wedding.
And that's my night ride story for tonight.
Tonight I was feeling the mojo, probably because I wasn't wearing any pads
and decided to take his advice and "just hammer the speed and commit to the jump." I hammered the speed and committed to the jump, and gapped the sidewalk with about 6 inches to spare. It was beautiful, and I FELT it! The guys were all watching and totally erupted in cheers. I was ecstatic and trembling with adrenaline. I rolled up next to them."That was amazing!" I heard, as I cast my gaze to the sidewalk, beaming from ear to ear, somewhat embarrassed at the pride I felt in my little triumph. "Yeah," I said, "I totally felt it. It was really good." A moment of silence passed, then:
"Dude, you're fork's locked out," I hear DHS tell me.
NO! I do this on occasion. I forget to unlock my fork. Steve is amazed that I don't seem to notice it, and ride the same whether it's locked out or not. I look down. Sure enough, I turn the knob and my fork grows about 3 inches. I laugh at my own idiocy.
"Go back and do it again," he says with a smile. I sigh, "OK."
I pedal back to the entry of the run-in to the jump. I'm still trembling with adrenaline, but tell myself the same thing I told myself before I actually cleared it: Hammer the speed and commit. I don't take into account the added adrenaline and um... testosterone? maybe? I hammer the speed.
This time, not only do I clear the sidewalk, but immediately upon touchdown, I realize I've overshot by over a foot, and a large tree is fast approaching. On instinct, I lay the bike over, so as not to run into the tree, and plow hard into the dirt with my left shoulder. It happens so fast, I hardly know what has occurred, but I know I'm in pain, that I'm trying to stand but I'm dizzy, and that it was almost a lot worse than it really was.
Instead of the loud cheers that I was expecting from the guys, I see bodies rushing towards me. "Woah! You OK?"
"Um, I think so." I try out my left arm for range of motion. "Aaauuugh!!" I gasp. Yep, found it. Rotator cuff. I stagger a bit and slouch back to the ground. I'm dizzy. I tell the guys that I'll be OK, I just need a minute to get some blood to my head, as I lie on my back and prop my feet against the tree. I take a deep breath, and suddenly laugh. The guys want to know what's so funny.
"Well, all this week I've been really pissed off that I can't race this weekend because my friend is getting married and I have to be at the wedding. But now, if I can't raise my arm, well, it's like, no longer her fault that I can't race. Somehow it makes it easier..."
As soon as I'm able, we all get back on our bikes and head back to the shop. Im pretty certain it's either A/C or rotator cuff, as I've injured both before and have a good idea what to look for. Before heading back down south towards home, I stop at DHS's place for a bag of ice. Were I to visit the ER, I figure ice and Ibuprofin would be the diagnosis, so I simply take both and just head home.
So now, its been an hour or so. Although I can't raise the arm, I can keep it up once I help it up with the other arm, so I figure: rotator cuff. I should take it easy for a bit. Sigh. Oddly, not racing this weekend because I injured myself overshooting a gap is somehow much more comforting than not racing this weekend because I have to go to a wedding.
And that's my night ride story for tonight.
Way to hit that gap like a pro!!! 
. congrats on the gap in any case.
