It happens sometimes

For the record: I've had better legs for Wednesday Night Worlds.

Also: I've had worse.

Add in long hours on the bike on Sunday and Tuesday, chasing my tail and herding cats at the store in between — including all day Wednesday — and I was pretty cooked before we even rolled out. But I knew what was coming. It'll benefit me later.

You know that extra two or three percent that makes it easier to pull through and stay with the bunch and climb and sprint? It was completely absent last night. I didn't really expect much less.

But because I'm an optimist, there are positives to take away. The biggest, like every week, is that my back didn't hurt. My legs hurt like hell the entire time, but my back was fine. I'll take that as a win any day.

When I was laying in the hospital looking at a white-board drawing of a crushed vertebra, I wondered what the rest of my life would be like. Would I ride again? Would there be constant pain? Would I essentially be an old man at 40? Would I need surgery?

So far, the answers are yes — a month later — and no. The first few months were tough, but by and large my back doesn't hurt that much anymore. After a long day, I'll be tired and stiff, but that can be fixed with stretching and a heat pack.

So I was slow last night. It happens. In the overall scheme, I'm where I want to be. I'll take the next few days pretty easy, get in a quick spin on Saturday and head into Sunday at the Twin Bing Classic hopefully capable of ... well, something.