Bicycle racers crash, tacks thrown onto course

[aicabsolut]

I'm ok. Got bruises and road rash, but I'll be fine. I think my bike is ok. Need to have the shop assess the front rim (the wheel that flatted--I scraped and dented the rim some when I tried to make a sharp turn with no air), the carbon handlebars and seatpost. All major things like my frame and noggin seem to be just fine. I am pretty upset about the whole thing, though. There were just so many people going down throughout the day from flat tires (or pileups behind people crashing with flats). Some people had much more bike and bodily damage than me, though I think there was only one bad injury--broken collarbone. Could have been a lot worse I guess.

My team got an email from one of the moto officials today. Apparently the refs were pulling multiple tacks out of their motorcycle tires after the races too. Luckily, none of them got flats because of it.

[bikerchic]

What kind of a sick *astard would do something like that?

Karma ~~what goes around comes around!


♪♪may your wife be blessed with runners in her hose♪♪

[bmccasland]

Any chance of catching and prosecuting the dang JERK(s) that pulled the evil prank?

May I suggest a bed of nails?

[aicabsolut]

I dunno if they'll catch anyone. There are cameras in the downtown area where the crit was held, but not many because it is a small town. The county police are taking it very seriously, though. I've been in contact with them about it. Although I fared better than many (didn't go to the ER, bike is probably ok and even if the rim is toast, I have Mavic insurance on this wheel), I hope that everyone who had an incident speaks up. The hard part for the police is to identify suspect(s).

A few of the locals spoke to me during my trainer warmup, and they seemed very friendly. One woman asked if she could take my picture--felt like we had some good fans! Many cyclists ate at the local restaurants and otherwise had a positive impact on the local economy. I heard that the milkshakes in town were the best. It's really too bad that there was an evil person in attendance too.

I also hope that the volunteer EMTs got some nice donations for their hard work. They did a good job.

[TrekTheKaty]

Seriously?! If someone had taken a header into that shed, they could have been killed. WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE? Was someone inconvenienced on their way to work? No, obviously it was premeditated--unless they always carry tacks in their car! Which means they must have stayed to see their carnage. Unbelievable. Criminal charges--I hope they catch the guy!

aicabsolut, I'm glad you're ok.

[Catrin]

This is just sickening, why would someone even THINK of doing such a thing, let alone carry it out. Hopefully they can find and make an example of those responsible.