Gaimon, Phil. Pro Cycling on $10 a Day: From Fat Kid to Euro Pro. Boulder, Colorado: VeloPress, 2014.

"It's funny what happens to your mind and your body during a crash. What you thought you were doing and what you expected to happen are suddenly tossed aside. A second ago, you were racing and having a good time. Now you're on the guardrail, or against a curb, or sliding on the pavement, and you have to deal, with that. As my senses were heightened and my brain hit the "record" button, instincts kicked in" (94).

This quote is when Phil Gaimon crashes in the Athens Twilight Pro Criterium Race. This race is very popular and has a lot of drunk college kid spectators. He is riding for the Jelly Belly Pro Cycling team at the time, but goes to this race an individual rider without his teammates. He recognizes this race as a "crashfest" and his only goal is to come out of the race safe. Yet, when he registers, he is given race number 13, and because he is superstitious, he believes this to be unlucky. He pins the number on upside down to relieve this unluckiness and starts the race, yet is crashed out by another rider going into the first corner. This quote is his reflection upon the incident and the reality of crashing in general.

This passage is memorable because I've crashed on my bike before so I know exactly what he's talking about. I seem to remember every moment of my crashes, as he describes when his "brain hit the 'record' button". Actually, I had a horrible mountain bike crash a few years ago and when I recovered from it, I posted on Instagram about it saying, "one minute I'm having the time of my life, the next I'm lying on the ground writhing in pain". This phrase that I said reminded me of this passage and gave it sentimental value because I've literally already been there. And my crash inspired me to bounce back and better myself, as Phil did later in the book (he didn't let the crash affect his race career). Phil's message about crashing truly got to me because I realized how very real his words are, which also helped me understand the importance of resiliency.

"I'd been training and racing since February, so my coach prescribed four days off the bike and four days with short easy rides. You know how a hot tub feels better if you just come out of an ice bath? Well, a week on a sofa is better if you've been beating yourself up for months." (60).

Before this, Phil had been racing, partying, and managing his various side jobs. This overworked him greatly and he now needs a break from training in general. He talks to his coach about the prospect of taking some time off the bike and his coach agrees. His most recent race was Tour of Pennsylvania and he had been racing since February and it is now June. When he's off the bike he does not completely isolate himself from bike racing; he goes to a race the following weekend with friends and cheers on his teammates from the sidelines. At the race he goes to watch, he carries around a rubber chicken, wagging it at the racers as they come by. He feels like it wouldn't be a weekend without waiting in line for a port-a-potty (something that always happens at bike races).

I like this passage because it has humorous connections to the real world and life in general. When he mentions how a hot tub feels better if you've just come out of an ice bath, he relates his personal cycling to the experiences of the general public. I've also learned the importance of taking rest days on the bike and can relate to his personal training knowledge. For example, when I get sick and have a cold, I have found that taking time off the bike and going easy is more beneficial than continuing training. I also like that he used the phrase "beating himself up" to describe his prolonged time racing because every day racing is a new opportunity to crash and fail. This passage is memorable to me because I've had feelings of overtraining and he explains what I've experienced in greater detail.