Are You tired of <3’s?

I heart preparation and tapering. I guess I can’t really call it tapering since I don’t really train in the traditional sense so we will just call it not riding.

I just heart loading up on extra calories and no riding, it pushes my anxiety and stress to the edge and I heart it.

Monday night I started preparing the SCS monkey for her fight against the demon we all call Pisgah. I started with setting up my new (back from the dead) re-fashioned front wheel tubeless with a Nevegal. Since I always go about things the hard way I got her all mounted up with no air compressor or C02. It takes some extra tricep grease but it is possible. I received a package with my new Geax tire for mounting on the back wheel. This was the easiest tire to set up tubeless yet. I mounted it with a tube, rode it around, then took one side off, pulled out the tube, switched stems, poured a healthy amount of stans and pumped it right up with a floor pump. I didn’t even have to get my elbow grease out. Do you think 36 hours of Pisgah is good enough to qualify as a “break-in” test? It is great to be freshly set up tubeless again.

My other heartfelt preparation occurred yesterday as I took my Camel Bak by an alteration shop and asked if they could get my zipper working again. This is my larger pack and the zipper has been broken since PMBAR last year. I walked into “Layla’s Alterations” to find an older Russian gentleman behind the counter. This was the correspondence:

Mr. Russianvich “Wut can I do vor you?”
Mater “Can you fix this zipper?”
Mr. Russianvich “If I can vix it, ten dollas. If I can’t . . . Come Z Friday Moning.”
Mater “Ummm, Friday is too late and I need to know as soon as possible if you can’t fix it.”

I feel as though the sullen man that stands before me can sense the urgency and energy that is exuding from my every pore and he says:

Mr. Russianvich “Today viz Tuesday, Come by tomorrow Moning. If I can’t vix it, nobody can vix it.”

We will see if it is vixed this afternoon. I have this funny feeling it will be. Either that or he will shoot me with a Kalashnikov for coming into his shop in the afternoon. Who knows there might even be some Stoli in the bladder for me? None of that flavored crap either.

So with that done, extra brake pads, mineral oil (Does anyone else have problems with their mineral oil at below freezing temperatures?) brake hose, an extra set of wheels, tires, rotors, seat, chain, chain ring, cogs, cranks and bottom bracket, I should be all set for just about any disaster. Yah the event is entry fee free but not free for the racers or Eric. Preparation cost dollar bills, campgrounds cost Benjamins (remember that if you attend gatherings) and so on.

I heart buying new cold weather gear.

I have never worn anything more for cold weather than knee warmers, in my life, EVER! Eric is requiring that we have tights for the race. So I bought tights and proceeded to wear them around the house last week. Kristin seems to think that I should probably still wear Chamois with them but I haven’t decided for sure. By the way Dennis, does your new bike clash with your pink tights?

My last number one reason to heart this week is my partner’s valentine gift to himself. His new bike that is hot pink, not the kind of pink that makes you say “awww dat is a cute wittle bicycle” but the kind of pink that makes you say “Dammmmmmnnnnn, did you find that thing in an Event Horizon?

At least I will be able to see Dennis as he glows up the mountain ahead of me. I am ecstatic