GatorFL

Can that actually happen?! Apparently, the answer is "yes". I'm posting this instead of a race report.

I was doing a Half Iron race (I know, tris are gay, but don't judge....if I swam slower and biked faster, I'd be a cyclist). Because of my age started 22 minutes back from the first wave. Although I passed a few hundred people in the swim (I think I had the 2nd fastest swim out of 1000), there were still a bunch of people on the bike course before me. About 12 miles in, the majority of people were going in the 18-20 mph range, while I was doing about 26 (slight tailwind here.....I was averaging a bit slower than 24 up until this point...remember that I still had to run 13 miles, so I can't go above AeT on the bike). It was on an open course and the sag wagon was in front me going the speed of most of the rest of the racers. I checked to make sure there was no oncoming traffic, and made a wide pass on the left. Halfway through, the car turned left off the road. I went all the way out into the gravel to avoid getting hit, but he STILL didn't see me and I ended up smashing into the front fender and flipping face-first into the ground. Honestly, the guy had to have the IQ of a baked potato. For God's sake, he was part of the damn bike race and didn't think to look around for bikes! Broken nose....eight stitches....etc, etc. Oh, and my $6k tri bike was totaled, along with my glasses, $300 shoes, and $240 helmet. To add insult to injury, this was the last race I needed for my pro card.....and based on my swim and the first 30 min of my bike I was feeling REALLY good that day.

Here are a few of my favorite pics:

patentcad

Tris may be gay, but you do get the Harden the F Up Trophy for November.

GatorFL

Nah, I don't deserve it....I think if I had finished the race on a broken bike with blood pouring down my face I'd take the trophy, but really I'm just a victim of bad luck and encountering someone whose mother drank while pregnant.

kensuf

Matt, sorry to hear about the injuries. Heal up soon.

YMCA

At least it's the off-season now. You can work extra hard for that pro card after a nice holiday layoff. Nothing's broken, right?

celticfrost

That's about all that registered in my mind.

Heal up quick.

prendrefeu

TELL me they're compensating you for all of this - did they take fault?

Heal up, man!

mollusk

Ouch!

I hope you and the bike are feeling better soon.

patentcad

The bike was wrecked eh? That means you're in the market for a new TT bike. Pcad's Diabolical BF Schwag Instigation Plan never sleeps.

Let the TT Bike Arms Race begin.

GatorFL

If I don't get another Plasma, here's what I'm thinking (I'm really good with MS Paint, btw). The wheels are for sure (I was planning on getting them before my bike got trashed anyway), and the bike is a probably.

rsd212

...and where are the pics of the bike?

GatorFL

The bike pics really aren't spectacular. Two untrueable carbon wheels knocked out of true (brakes lock up on certain points while riding now). Integrated derailleur hanger knowcked askew (can't replace b/c it's integrated). Pretty lame damage for a totaled bike, but I think it speaks volumes about the integrity of the Plasma frame.

webist

School bus hits kid. Cop shoots partner. SAG wagon hits cyclist. These just ain't right.

prendrefeu

That's terrible.



You should claim brain damage as part of compensation.

cmh

Tris are too dangerous. You should race criteriums.

Hope you get better soon and get your Pro card .

ri_us

Your bike handling skills are pretty bad. But your homophobia is horrific.

patentcad

What did you have to promise Ryanf to get him to do those graphics for you?

GatorFL

Triathlete guads.

waterrockets 

Man, bad news. At least you weren't admitted at the hospital, I guess. Yuck.

Someone like Calfee can repair that plasma's der hanger, and can probably even convert it to replaceable. Just an option to pocket some of the money you get from the driver's insurance (assuming they don't force you to turn over the entire bike).

UT_Dude

You could always buy my Plasma .

Sorry to hear about that, hope you get well soon. Scott apparently offers a retrofit kit, by the way, to change the hanger to replaceable. That's part of why I'm selling mine -- I bent the hanger on my CR1 last night, thankfully, they took the bend out really easily...

DocRay

CastIron

So what DID the folks putting this little disaster on say?

GatorFL

It's pretty, maybe even better than my P-R-O Paint skillz above, but the seattube angle is too slack for my taste.

GatorFL

The race director has been really friendly so far. I told her I was going through the car's insurance, so I haven't really talked to her since. The car was a company car from a bike shop in Miami and the owner is overseas. The whole situation is spectacularly fun.

DocRay

The post has two saddle positions.

I saw one in person with the Zipp stickers removed, quite B2-bomber-stealthy-badass.