Kamikaze

Racing in china can been dangerous, like kamikaze dangerous, and the Tour of  Lake has definitely been an example of this. The stages are short and flat, so when we reach the finish, everyone still has fresh legs, even those that are normally not there. 

The result is crazy bunch sprints that pretty much always end in a crash. Riders are pushing their way to the front and darting left or right with others only centimeters from them. There is no organization in the finish and in the chaos, someone always manages to touch a wheel or pedal and either fall or slam on the brakes. 

With 100 other riders behind them going full speed and some not looking up, there is usually a pile up. In stage 1, with 100m to go, this happened to me. A rider went sliding across the road in front of me, taking out two others. I slammed on the brakes and ran straight into them, going over the handlebars and landing on top. 

Thankfully, I was able to get up and walk my bike across the finish line and with the UCI rule I received the same time as the bunch. But I sure am sick of hitting the bitumen.