My ass is like a tube of circus peanuts

Today is a good day.  Yesterday was just okay.

Of course on the day that I decide to ride the coaster brake bike, I'm busier than I have been in a long time.

Things that sucked:

Riding plastic flat pedals in a pair of Sanuks.

There's a reason that cycling shoes are stiff.  I used many muscles throughout the course of the day that are normally dormant getting in order to get this bike up and moving... speaking of moving.

This "bike" is a scientific anomaly.  Although the whole thing weighs less than 24lbs, the wheels and tires alone weigh 30lbs.  At least that's what it felt like when I was accelerating or climbing.  Yet despite their weight, they had no inertia.  Amazing.  Like a black hole that gravitationally pulls all my effort into a dark void of nothing.

Coming to a stop AND doing a track stand at the light.  Truly a skill to master.  Unless you've tried this feat on a coaster brake bike, don't judge me.  It's quite an awkward sammich to eat in public.

But the bike will do what I ask of it, and I still want to make some changes before it fills its official role as grocery getter/way homer/meeting shuttle.

So glad to be back on this today:

The Fastest Bike in the World, parked upstairs in my auxiliary office in the living room.  Part of the agreement when we moved into the new place.  I didn't wanna hike up and down stairs every day with my work related items.  A trip to ReStore and Bike Source later, and this is where the other magic happens, my job thing.  The Pie is a tolerant spouse indeed.

Anyways, I finally got a new 48T ring and 17T cog.  I should be rolling crunch-free all day, just in time to stop putting in extra miles for "training" purposes.  Brilliant.

I'm also ready for the Pisgüh Moünster Croüsse tomorrow.

King of Pisgah Series number plate not shown.

Ikon 2.2 tires... because they are the smallest thing I've got.  It's called a "mountain bike," and I only own "mountain bike tires."  I'm not buying a set of 1.8 rubbers for graveling, as I have no intentions to do more graveling in the future.  The 2.2 @ 19PSI beat the ever loving crap out of me last week at the Whitewater Center.  I can't wait to get a 2.4 or 3.0 back on there, proper style.  No idea what the bike weighs with this setup, and don't care, as it will never be seen again in this livery.  And yes, the drooper is still on there, because... gravel, I mean burrito.

For now, this will do.  Up at 4:50AM tomorrow, on the road at 5:00AM, unhappily headed up FR 477 @ 8:07AM. 

One more thing of note.  I have not taken this race very seriously.  The last time I really looked at the information on the site was back in 2012...

Side note:  That was the year my elderly canine had a medical emergency as I was trying to get out the door.  Fast forward to last night.  She let out a whale sound at 3:00AM that scared the shit outta me.  I sat up and put my hand on her side... waited to see if she was still breathing.  She was.  I think she likes to fuck with me.

Anyways, I only skimmed the information about the race and put this in my head:

"The riders will be treated to some of the highest elevation sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway and over 40 miles of the toughest gravel roads Pisgah has to offer."

And for some reason, that "40 miles" part stuck in my head.  It wasn't until last week that Namrita pointed out to me that the ENTIRE race is 70 miles, a piece of information I woulda known had I read the previous sentence on the site:

"Up to 200 participants will be challenged to complete a 70 mile, 11,000’ of climbing loop of gravel and paved roads."

So there you have it.  Guess I'm riding 70 miles tomorrow.

I am sad boy



Who gives a shit indeed.