I'm normally a basket case during the week leading up to the Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race, but this year is worse than usual... or mebbe it's better? I'm kinda burned out on "planning" and "thinking," and still getting over all the "wrecking" and "recovering." That and the idea of once again converting the Vertigo Meatplow V.7 into a beast of burden for a pack-less PMBAR just got a little bit harder this year.
I'm sure I'll figure it out... while I'm pacing around the house in a lackadaisical manner trying to assemble everything that I think is necessary to make great PMBAR bike race. All the coffee needs, Pop Tarts, sleeping gear (where are we even sleeping Friday night?), beer, clothes, nutrition, hydration, cheat juice, water tablets, hot sauce for the post-race burritos...
This race is not everything to me, but it is a lot. Fortune favors the prepared mind. Not having to worry about a forgotten piece of key gear means I'll have more brain power for navigation, which in turn means that I'll make fewer (not zero) mistakes... but then again, this race is "old hat" for me at this point... so I feel like I'm trying to care more than I'm actually caring.
I'm looking forward to this special Fall edition this year, but I'll be much happier when it goes back into place next Spring. Coming into this event with anything resembling a laissez-faire attitude probably isn't going to help us.
I mean, it's worked so far, but we're not out yet.
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3 comments:
Buy a cheap old Nokia phone on Craigslist for $10. It’ll let you make 911 calls.
A couple inquiries/thoughts. How much stuff do you need to access actually while you are actually riding/pedaling outside of bottles and maybe a map? It seems you have some small but available space behind your headtube b/t your top/down tubes. A small bag there would be ideal for phone portage, being both secure and out of harms way. The top tube sack may be fine, but like you said there is the weight and that could cause that likely already overloaded bag to become more unwieldy. Lastly, Cheat juice; do you use it as suggested? "Mix 1 scoop in 4-8 oz of water and take 30-45 min before race or workout" I'm always wary of such things mostly because of the heavy sugar rush from most drink supplements kicks my Type 1 'beetus tuchus. I tend to lightly sip on water with Tailwind throughout my rides to minimize such unpleasantries. Good luck with yr chaos.
I don't have a lot of space inside my small frame with two large water bottles. Not to mention, I grab the bike around that area when hike-a-biking. My gear is divided up in the manner of keeping handy things handy. Food, water purification tablets, and passport are in the top tube purse. Obviously, it gets lighter the further I get into my day. A map is not something I really need much anymore after the race starts.
A serving of Rocket Red only has three grams of sugar, so I don't think that's an issue. I do take as suggested and on the days leading up to events I care about.
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