Ouch! That crash doesn't sound like fun. I had one of my own - though not nearly as serious - a few weeks ago. It was really embarrassing too. Out for a ride with some friends newer to cycling, I thought I'd impress them with my mountain biking "skills." Anyway, there was a very uneven portion of bike path/sidewalk along a busy street that I decided to bunnyhop over. That part went fine (and I'm sure they were oohing and aahing it behind me) when my front tire found a seam just big enough to accomodate it between the two concrete slabs a few feet further down. As you might guess, my front tire rapidly lost speed and - before I could pull it out of the seam - stopped. Over the handlebars I went headed directly for a guard rail (in slow motion, of course). I thought my face was going to smack it hard and be cut open by the sharp aluminum. Somehow I managed to turn at the last millisecond, taking most of the impact forces on my chin and right shoulder. My right foot still clipped in, my friend rushed over and asked if I was ok. "Give me a minute and I'll tell you" was my response and I flailed like a turtle on its back - the handlebar pinning my thigh between it and the top tube.

Anyway, it all turned out okay. A few minutes, several raspberries later, I was back on the bike headed for our intended destination - breakfast! LOL. Other than a lot of soreness over the next few days, I'm none the worse for wear.

loCarbJ - the Muddy Buddy is so much fun - you'll love it! The one here in Colorado had the best mix of people. Some people who kicked butt, some who weren't quite as good and some - like me - who were there just to finish. As I mentioned in my journal, I was pretty pleased with my time as I was expecting far worse and running's really not my thing. I'm looking forward to doing it again next year and - instead of being in the bottom 1/4, my goal is to be in the top 1/2 or better.

Good luck and don't forget to post pictures, stories here! If you have any questions about it, I'll be happy to answer them here or you can PM me...