Tour de Toona - The rest of the story

I have received many requests to finish the tale of the 2006 Tour de Toona so I will, as much as I would like to forget it.
Coming off of Wednesdays road race I was feeling very confident that I would be in for a good rest of the week and had lofted my overall goal to a top 50 GC placing.
Thursday was a rolling, very fast 100km circuit race. I started well and found myself at the very front of the race for the first 15 km. I was seriously thinking of getting in a move when it all went down. Two riders collided just infront of me as we ripped along at 50km/hr and just as screeching tires and carbon crackling filled the Holidaysville morning air and I thought I was going to get around the mess I was struck from behind and flung over the bars. I hit the road hard on my knee and shoulder, buzzed my chin off a tire and ended up at the very bottom of a big pile. After straightening my stem and levers, in the heat of the moment it appeared that my rear wheel was way out of line so I took it out and requested a change. The Mavic guys were running around trying to get the 20 some riders in the crash off again and in the end I was one of the last to get a wheel and when I finally did the caravan and almost all the riders were long gone. I started off with about 75 more km to race with the sole mission of making the time cut and not getting to down on myself for the now inevitable plunge I would take down GC. After 20 km solo I was joined by a Quebec rider and another rider who were also caught in the crash. For the next 55 km it was basically a 2 man time trial with the Queb and I taking the brunt of the pulls to keep the speed up. Finally after much work I rolled in 17:54 down on the winner and headed for the medics tent. I was lucky as I escaped the crash with only some relatively minor road rash on my knees, shoulder, elbows and chin. I was not happy with the loss of time on GC, but my plan was to take it all back when the race hit the mountains on Saturday.
Friday was another circuit race this time 120km. It was windy and much of the course consisted of ripping along at 60+. I focused on staying out of trouble and conserving for the hard day to come and that was working well until about 15 km to go. On a straight piece of rolling road it happened again... A rider went down taking a couple with him just in front to the left and I thought I was going to get around when I was bumped hard from the left as another rider went down and I ended up tumbling into a very lush ditch on the right side of the road. This time I managed to get back on my bike before the last riders were getting around so after a few km of hard chasing I was home free and safe to finish in the bunch.
Before and after the race Friday I was feeling some strong hints that a case of the common cold could be swinging my way. I took these hints seriously, tried to rest a lot and stay hydrated etc.
Saturday morning I woke up after a night of coughing and little sleep to an 8 am start and a 155 km stage with 3 significant KOM climbs plus countless rollers. I tried to block out all feelings of weakness and doubt and survived the first 30 blistering kilometers along rolling terrain before settling in to a 35 km transition on flatter roads to Blue Knob and a 30 minute KOM climb to the ski station. At the base of Blue Knob I felt it right away. I had very little to give to stay in the front group and not quite enough to make the second group of 70 riders. My legs were so stiff and sore from poor recovery related to being sick and breathing was labored and tight. The incredible humidity on the day didn't help and in the end I crested that first peleton splitting climb at the back in a group of about 12 just hoping to make time cut. I had gone from a virtual 45th on GC (that would have been my GC placing on Thursday had it not been for the crash) to gutting it out in time cut land trying to just get a spot to start the crit and finish the week. Mentally it was devastating to know that although my firm and preparation were obviously good enough to ride this race close to the front fate and luck had put me back in a position I didn't feel I deserved to be in. I finished Saturday and ended up in 115th on GC, just getting me a spot in the final crit.
Sunday during warmup I was coughing and felt as though I should be heading home for a nap. I knew that finishing half of the crit would get me a final GC placing, getting pulled before 15 laps meant a DNF overall. I lasted 3 laps. The pace was high, no doubt about it, but compared to Gastown it should not have been a big deal on a normal day. I was wheezing and coughing, trying to fight my way to 15 laps, but I failed miserably. I knew it was going to be a miracle to make it through any race that day. A steady finishing road day could have been doable, but crits start out like cross races and that means 15 minutes of ultimate sufferage before the pace settles in to just sufferage. I couldn't take ultimate sufferage and paid the consequence of a big fat DNF and nothing to show.
I know I can race at this level and i proved it the first 4 days. All of the top pro squads in North America were in attendance and none of the racing was harder than my spring Belgium campaign. Unfortunately racing involves tragedy as well as success. I was very lucky to escape both crashes with only minor, superficial injuries and I proved to myself if not to anyone else that I belong at this level. I know I get my chance to show it all again soon.
On a happier note Jamie Sparling was the only rider from the team to finish the week. He rode consistently at the back as tail gunner and despite my tormenting him about the dangers of always riding at the back he avoided all mishaps and popped out at the end of the week with a finish. Our top placed rider going into the crit was Trevor Connor who was just inside the top 50 on GC. Unfortunately the crit handed him some splits and getting caught behind a crash so he to had to bite the cold DNF bullet.