Urban Assault Ride

Well, it ended right at the start for us.  Heidi and I did our first 'race' together on Sunday, the Urban Assault Ride.  More of a bike ride scavenger hunt and obstacle course, you have to find the most efficient path given a list of checkpoints around the city.  Two checkpoints are only figured out by deciphering a secret clue and at each checkpoint you complete some sort of obstacle course, like riding big wheels.  It ends with beer and a party.  Sounded like fun.

We started downtown at Pioneer Square lemans style, bikes on the ground with a running start.

We boycotted the online quiz because it was just a bunch of question where you had to scour each sponsors website to find the answers.  Not fun.  This meant we started in the last wave and I made a mental note that we were in dead last as we exited the start chute.

We turned north and were mixed amongst a group of novice riders.  After only four blocks, the group made a startled stop at an intersection.  This caught Heidi off guard.  I'm not quite sure how this happened but as I looked out of the corner of my eye I see Heidi starting to go over the handlebars head first.  It seemed like slow motion.  She hit the pavement and sprawled out, crushing her basket.

When she looked up at me with her big blue eyes I could see tears started to form.  It was much like this:

Her chin was bleeding bad as well.  I pulled her and her bike off the street and her chin definitely needed stitches.  Some quick thinking to lock up her bike and the hop on the trolley had us in the emergency room.  I rode home, got the truck, and drove back to the ER just as they were finishing up stitches.  We then picked up her bike which, other than the crushed bike basket, was fine.

On the ride home, she told me she was looking at a storefront on her left as we approached the intersection and was startled when the group made an abrupt stop.  I thought it strange at the time that they rode so nervously, someone even made some sort of shout.  It was only a yellow light.  Also the intersection had some metal grate on the road and was where the trolley and train tracks crossed.  Not an easy crossing for a novice rider.

So like I said, it ended right at the start and poor Heidi has bruises and stitches.  So I'm not so sure when we'll do our next race together.  Especially on rainy days...

Later