NEVIS CYCLE & TRIATHLON CLUB

This is the latest news from Shannon Fitzgerald, in her own words, as she busies herself scaling new heights in the cycling world, what follows is her report from the US Nationals, these are the very best female riders from all over the United States, so the standard is very high.
"Hi guys, sorry for not writing sooner with the results from the nationals race, here is what happenend:
I was nervous before the race started, there were so many cyclists everywhere. In the women's division 1 road race we started with 85 of the best women in the nation. The pace was not as fast as i had thought it might be but the road was crowded with so many riders. During the first lap of the 56 mile race there were a few wrecks, but managed to avoid them. During the second lap with 5 miles to go a huge pile up occured. I don't know what started it all but all i remember was watching 10-15 women crash right in front of me. i tried to stop or go around but there were to many bodies and bikes on the ground already. when i got up i could feel the bones of my collar bone grinding together and i knew i had broken it. But i quickly scanned the wreck to try to find my bike. There were so many bodies and bikes it took a few minutes to find mine in the ditch. The rear wheel was not turning. As i stood there a medical assistant came over to me and said i looked like i could use some medical attention. I was so fired up and upset about wrecking that i turned to him and said " NO, what I need is for someone to fix this bike and make it work. i did not come all the way to Kansas not to finish a race" so the poor guy tried his best and got the bike running. i got on and started the most painful 5 mile ride of my life. I passed a few other girls who had come our of the wreck with only some road rash. the main pack of riders however was long gone. I ended up finishing the race and getting 40 place in the nation. i was upset and frustrated as i know i could have done better. Of the women who wrecked 4 broke their collar bones, one her wrist, one her pelvis and 2 were taken off in a helicopter with head trauma. So i guess i can't complain in the end. Unfortunately i have had to take some time off from school as i am unable to function very well without use of my right arm. wish i could have had a different ending. Shannon"

An extraordinary tale from an amazing athlete, we wish Shannon a speedy recovery and congratulate her on her achievements so far, '40th in the Nation' is a fabulous finish considering what she went through, and shows what heart she has, we wish her well.