I didn’t understand what was happening at first. I was still breathing fast under my helmet, my hands shaking a little after the speed and the pressure. The crowd was screaming, but the noise felt far away, like it was coming from underwater. I was still trying to slow down my thoughts when the commentator shouted something that made my whole body freeze.

“—and Gold boy has crashed!”

I stood there on the edge of the track. My heart dropped hard. It felt like it hit the bottom of ...