"I'm sorry", and the final weekend of prep

I have to apologize to my wife, my kids, and my blog fans. Yesterday when I said I had spent Wednesday in Columbia, SC tubing (the same day same day some guy gave a speech in Columbia that didn't mention he tried to impeach a president for doing the same thing he was apologizing for) I was lying. I was actually thru-hiking the entire Appalachian Trail in one day with a Bolivian hat maker....

I have to apologize to my wife, my kids, and my blog fans. Just now when I said that on Wednesday I was thru-hiking the entire Appalachian Trail in one day with a Bolivian hat maker I was lying. Wednesday I was actually stalking Jill Homer on the Tour Divide while riding a Chilean donkey and listening to the soundtrack of Evita on my pink iPod Shuffle.



I have to apologize to my wife, my kids, and my blog fans. I was actually in Columbia Wednesday, and on that day we drove by the capitol building and saw all the reporters and thought "What's going on?" I know celebrity death is nothing to joke about, but Governor Sanford has to be pretty excited that Micheal Jackson and Farrah Fawcett have bumped him right off the front page in one day.

I know this is a bike blog, but I have to admit I was a bit taken aback when I heard about Micheal. I roller skated to the Off the Wall album, stayed up late to watch the premier of the Thriller video, and I'm sure at some point or another I'm sure I danced to his music (there was probably beer involved).

Anyways...

A big email went out this week from Breck Epic promoter Mike McCormack listing some mandatory gear we need to carry on every stage.

1. Rain shell/jacket
2. First-aid kit
3. Multi-tool
4. Survival blanket

I've been to a few stage races, and I've seen mandatory lists before. I've also seen a lot of people chuck the mandatory gear after seeing the pros show up at the start line with two water bottles and some not-so-bulging jersey pockets. Jeff Kerkove has already posted his intentions to carry only the finest stuff a guy could want in the back woods, and Tomi has even admitted that his original game plan has been thrown for a bit of a loop with the additional gear he had not counted on carrying. I had a general idea as to what I was going to carry, and how I was gonna carry it, but now I'm back to square one too.

I want to do my best to NOT carry a hydration pack. The aid stations are around 15 miles apart, so at altitude I think I'm stretching myself a little thin with two water bottles, but I'll know pretty quickly if I'm on the wrong track or not. I've got some cheap single layer GoreTex rain coat I bought at a swap meet rolled up tight with some cut up innertubes. I rarely ever carry a "multi tool", but I do carry multiple tools, so hopefully I'll make the cut there. Maybe if I duct tape them together I can turn them into a "multi tool". If all else fails maybe I'll bring my multiple tools and my "Multipass" and see how far that gets me.

I've got a survival blanket, and since I'm not carrying a camera there's plenty of room for that in my jersey. First aid kit? I've always been of the notion that if it can't be fixed with some duct tape, an innertube, and a jersey you better cover up with your emergency blanket and start blowing your whistle. Anything that can be treated with Tylenol and band aids can be ignored till you get to the finish line. That's just my personal and very unprofessional opinion. I've read Mountain Bike Action enough to catch the occasional "How to re-attach a severed head on the trail with duct tape, a patch kit, and a whittled down stick" articles to know what I'm doing.

This weekend is the big packing night. One bike box and one bag at fifty pounds each, and one carry on that tests the limits of the flight attendants patience and understanding. We'll see how that goes...