This past Saturday Matt raced in the 1,000 Warriors bike race that was held in conjunction with the Tour of Utah. It was an extremely difficult race that involved just over 10,000 feet of climbing. Not only was the terrain difficult but as most of you know it was very hot.
Matt did exceptionally well; going up the Alpine Loop on the Sundance side he had ridden himself into 4th position but on the way down a horrific crash occurred involving 5 cyclists. The race was neutralized for 45 minutes to and hour. I am happy to report that Matt was not involved in the crash but sadly my cousin's husband, Steve Beck and his best friend Dave Collins, were two of the cyclists that were seriously injured. I am happy to say that Steve will hopefully be released from the hospital today and that they are going to start bringing Dave out of his induced coma tomorrow. It is safe to say the the two EMT's that arrived on the scene shortly after the crash that were also racing saved Dave's life, thank you. Here is a link to the story if you are interested in reading more http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=7650578. Who says that we don't have angels watching over us....?
As for Matt once the race resumed he flew up Suncrest but then began having pain in his right knee on the way down. By the time I saw him again at the last SAG station he was in full blown pain with just over 12 miles left to go with an average gradient of 8-10% neither of us were sure he was going to make it. I can't begin to express how proud I am of him. He finished or as he puts it he "limped" to the finish 15th overall in his category. He basically rode from Wasatch Blvd. and up Little Cottonwood Canyon to Snowbird with one leg. My kids think I am crazy as I am sure Matt does because I get a little emotional thinking about it; I can relate to the pain while at the same time knowing the desire one feels to finish what they have started. SUPERMAN
Matt you are our WARRIOR! We are all so proud of you and hope and pray we can figure out what is going on with your knee before LOTOJA. Our prayers are also with the Steve Beck and Dave Collins and their families. Matt you ROCK:)
3 comments:
What a scary accident! i am glad Matt is OK. I hope the others recover quickly. It was so good to run into you. We will miss you this week in SG:( We will have to get together soon.
Matt you look good in tights. Mmmmm! Hope the knee heals up all proper like for ya buddy. Shannon = adorable!
Love y'all,
Monger
Geez, that is alot of pain in one race. That accident is awful and scary. Are you SURE it's worth it? j/k. Way to go Matt! If that knee gets better you are for sure to take first next year. What do you get if you win?
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