Nobody respects anybody's space at the front of a sprint. In the field, that's different and you would have a point. But not at the front. It's risky up there. You pays your money and you take your chances.

One thing you don't ever want to be at the front of a sprint is in the way. I have to be very careful when I race category races as the fast guys are way faster than me. I find a safe place to sprint and back off if it gets dicey. The last thing I want to be is the 58 year old causing an ugly crash at the front.

Sprinting is about way more than watts. It's about timing, guts, and positioning, including split second reactions to changes.

Heal up, learn from this, and get back out there.