← Blog/June 28, 2026 · 2 min read
Crashed, Probably Cracked a Rib
23 miles in, climbing felt great, then I slipped out and hit the pavement. Probably a cracked rib. Still finished.
The ride
Started this morning with a simple goal: get some climbing in, see how the legs felt. For a while, it was working. The climbing felt genuinely good. Not fast, not heroic, just good. That matters right now given where my fitness is.
Then I went down.
Slipped out on the pavement. Hit hard. The kind of hit where you lay there for a second and take inventory. Hands. Shoulders. Ribs.
The ribs are the problem. Probably cracked. I've had this feeling before and I know what it is. I finished the ride, which in hindsight was either gritty or stupid, possibly both.
The numbers
- Distance: 23.75 miles
- Moving time: 1:52
- Elevation: 1,619 ft
- Avg power: 120W
- Work: 806 kJ
- PRs: 3
Average power was low, partly because the crash disrupted the second half of the ride. But I still pulled 3 PRs on segments before it happened, which tells me the legs are coming around.
What this means for training
Honest answer: I don't know yet. Cracked ribs don't stop you from riding a bike forever, but they make the next week or two uncomfortable. Breathing hard on a climb is going to hurt. Getting out of the saddle is going to hurt. Every pothole is going to be a small punishment.
I'm not going to pretend this isn't a setback. My FTP is already sitting at 216W, well off my 2022 peak of 295W. I don't need more reasons to lose weeks.
But I also started this training log to be honest about what training looks like when life, and apparently pavement, gets in the way. This is one of those weeks.
The bigger picture
TheBayRide is August 29th. That's about two months out. The full loop is 135 miles around the Bay. I've done it 11 times. I know what it takes physically to get around that course, and I know I'm not there yet.
Crashing today didn't help. But I finished the ride. The climbing did feel good before it didn't. I'll take the PRs. I'll rest the ribs. I'll get back on the bike when I can breathe without wincing.
More updates coming as training continues, including the weeks that go sideways.
From the ride
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