Mels World hic-Cup

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BY: Melanie Alexander

Published: 26th April, 2010

Arriving at a reasonable time at Dalby on Friday I decided to go for a practice lap with Mark to get a bit of tuition if needed. Having raced there last year gave me extra confidence and the big wheels were fantastic on the dry dusty surface. I felt great, smooth and way past the stage of feeling daunted about the level of the riders. I finished the lap buzzing, excited about Sunday's race.
 
Saturday practice slot was early, plan was to have a couple more practice laps and spin ready for the big day. Enjoying the course again, catching other women up on twisty sections made me feel so good about myself â€" yeah I was meant to be at this race! Off the drop and down Worry Gill - no worries there. Next was the bus stop â€" a 10 meter detour off and back on the fire road. Entry was an incline then twist round a tree and drop down over some roots back to the fire road. I had hesitated here the day before but second attempt was fine. Now I wanted to ride it first time, so told myself straight into it this time - don't hesitate. I don't really know where I went wrong first or quite what happened. I slowed down at the top then aimed down, but I was not on the line I wanted to be on, my bike was going one way and my body the other. I tried re-balancing and for a split second thought I had saved myself then my front wheel stopped and I went flying over the handle bars landing heavily on my back side. I lay there in complete agony, I have never felt so much pain and inability to move. It was scary. I remember thinking ‘my back oh my god my back please be OK!. After 4 minutes or so I got the strength to crawl off the track and to lie on the side. Eventually I pulled myself up. I was hurting but I still had the desire to race so decided to finish the practice lap, get looked at by First Aid and just wait and see how I felt in the morning. But climbing was agony so I dismounted, kept pushing and stopping until I got to the top of the steep hill. I was at the top of Medusas drop here. A marshall pointed out a steep climb I could walk up or Medusas drop, Medusas drop won by a mile. The bike rode down there so well that I was kicking myself for falling off. I jumped on the fire road here back to the race start.

I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon trying to get comfortable and watching the racing convincing myself there was still a chance I could race the next day, I wanted to do that race more than anything. By late afternoon, fed up with my lack of mobility and worried about the pain I went to A and E where I was quickly found a bed. A couple of hours later I found out I had broken my pelvis. Gutted! Initially I was just so upset I was missing the World Cup but now I am just gutted I can't ride my bike at all for a couple of weeks, or much else for that matter. I need to find a positive within this crash or I will go insane and be a nightmare to live with. So not the World Cup I wanted but I will make sure I get to a World cup if not this year then next year and I will return to Dalby in July and race as hard as I can.