A couple friends and I were doing one of our regular Wednesday night training sessions and we decided to go try out a different venue which is great for training, but it’s very dark at night and does not have lights in most parts.

My front light ran out of battery halfway through the ride, and I decided to just push on since I thought I could still see fairly okay. This was obviously not a good idea as you can see from the following pictures. One second I was going at my hard interval pace, and the next second I felt an impact and was flying sideways through the air to be greeted by the cold and hard pavement.

I found out that the cause was one of many large metal light reflectors that were sticking out of the middle of the road.. Normally these aren’t so bad if you hit them, but these ones looked to be designed to really mess you up if you hit one of them, whether you are riding in a car or on a bike..

I instantly had a double flat on impact, some broken spokes and ruined handlebar tape, but luckily that was it for the damage on my road bike.

My helmet was also pretty badly cracked. Definitely goes to show why you should always wear a helmet. They really do save lives.

As far as my body goes, I had the normal road rash (fortunately only on my right side), ruined one of my favorite cycling kits, and had a really sore thumb (on my left side) which turned out to be broken. I also experienced my first ever concussion, which was quite a frightening experience.

At first, when I tried to get up and walk off the road, my vision would quickly get blurry and go dark. Thankfully, I had my friends with me to help take care of me and get me home.

One of my friends called a taxi to our location, and I was able to get home that way. Never thought I’d see the day where I finish a ride home in a taxi, but there’s a first for everything I guess.

Back to work Thursday morning. Uggh

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I’ve heard stories in the past of cyclists dying in accidents and while they are tragic, the feelings associated with them do not compare to when it happens to someone who has played an important role in your life.

I met Carla in the fall of 2008 in my first semester at Lees-McRae College. This was the semester where her collegiate cycling domination began. I was intimidated when I first met her because when we would be climbing in the mountains at a fast pace, I would be struggling while she looked perfectly fine. As I grew to know her better I observed her strong will, complete dedication, strength, and personality. She quickly became an athlete that I truly respected. During college, it’s common for many people to goof off and put their training aside. Carla certainly was a goofball at times, but she always had the perfect balance between that and training. Not only was she constantly improving, but she seemed to truly be enjoying herself throughout the process. She was able to live life to the fullest.

In the fall of 2008 I was there to see Carla claim multiple national titles at collegiate track nationals. Her family even hosted us in Georgia to train at the Dick Lane velodrome in preparation for that. I saw her dominate mountain bike nationals, winning xc and short track to take the omnium title as well. I then saw her finish out her season by winning at cyclococross nationals and helping us win team omnium. With all of these races and every other one in between, she was an inspiration to me. I saw the hard work that she put in and was very happy for her to see everything pay off.

She really was a genuine person. I would always bug her with questions and ask her for advice and she never turned me down. I learned a lot from her and I am extremely thankful for everything she has done for me.

Even after I left LMC, I was still excited to hear about her results and watch her at races. Large races like Speedweek and Nationals are great because they are like a reunion for the national cycling community. Whenever we were at the same races I would always do a few course laps with her to catch up. It saddens me that I will no longer be able to have this tradition with her.

Carla, thank you again for everything you have done. Even after your passing you continue to teach me. You touched many people and led a beautiful life. You will be missed by many.

2008 collegiate track nationals LMC team sprint

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