Special Thanks....

Even though it's been over a week, I was finally able to unload my gear and bike from Tulare. In between the "ice pick" bursts of pain in my sides, I inspected my gear and bike and took notice of that which needed to be fixed or thrown out.  And, after a conversation with Linda Thomas, really took time to re-play the weekend in my head.

Some of you know I went down in Moto 2 on Day 1. After spending Monday and part of Tuesday at 2 different imaging centers, an urgent care, and my personal doctor, the results were as follows: Right cracked rib, bruised liver, right damaged intercostals, left damaged intercostals, various scrapes and road rash (track rash?), no breaks in the finger but a re-visiting of the butterfly closures that LT did for me.  Obviously a tetanus shot was in order, along with antibiotics, especially due to the treatment plant next door to Tulare.

Anyways, I believe that winners play hurt, and that championships are won on your bad days.  That being said, sometimes we need help, and I ABSOLUTELY wouldn't have been able to race on Sunday if it wasn't for a few people.

I'd like to say THANK YOU to the following:

Russ Lowery and Don Hart. Thanks guys for stopping and shutting off the bike.  And of course, for helping me up.  For those who don't know, my left hand was caught in the wheel and my Rekluse was not allowing the bike to stall.  My spokes were literally cutting through my hand. A quarter inch in either direction and I would have lost one or two segments of my index finger.

Mark Flinders. Thanks buddy for putting my bike back together so I could attempt to ride. I certainly couldn't have worked on it with my hand chewed up.

Stefanie, Jennifer, and Rich Young. Thanks for keeping my head straight and motivating me while racing on Sunday. It helped more than you know.

The 45int racers and everyone else that came by to check up on me.

Gary - I don't know who you are but you gave me peroxide to allow LT to do her magic!

And, mostly, a very special thanks to Linda and Michael Thomas.  Linda cleaned, cut, "stitched", and bandaged me multiple times over the weekend, and then once more for good measure just before I left. She kept me on an icing protocol, which helped out immensely.  Her ability coupled with her willingness to help me succeed has me forever grateful for her existence on this earth and in the club.  And, as I told her, the UC Center was pleasantly surprised with how well she did on the fly with minimal tools and materials. 

Anyways, I wanted to make sure everyone knew I was appreciative of them.  It's a tough sport we do, that's for sure.  And we all need help sometimes.  Be grateful for the people you ride and race with - it truly is a gift.

With that, I'll leave you all with a banged up and broken Braaaap!  But a Braaap none the less.... 😉