The Preparation

"Hope for the best.

Prepare for the worst."

Chris Bradford

 

Yesterday I cleaned two of my bikes:  the Lynsky and the Calfee.  Afterward, I took the Lynsky out for a spin to make sure all is working well.  For I am trying to decide which to ride on the upcoming overnight trip.  It is going to be a challenging trip.  Both centuries are quite hilly.  But added to that is that I have not acclimated to heat because we have not had heat and all of a sudden it is predicted that both days will be in the nineties with feel like temps around a hundred.

 

The Lynskey is, frankly, the more comfortable of the two.  It is the bike I rode for PBP in 2011.  I love that bike.  But there is no doubt it is heavier than the Calfee.  The Califee has electronic shifting and no cables to worry about.  And it climbs like a dream and has an easier climbing gear than the Lynskey even though the Lynskey has my beloved triple, the triple I rarely use but always appreciate having available.  When Bob put my Calfee together, one thing I asked for was that the gearing be as similar as possible, but if an exact match was not possible, to give me an easier climbing gear as I am aging.  And he did.  It is not a huge difference, but it is a difference.  Decisions, decisions.    

 

I have great respect for the heat.  It has brought me to my knees in the past, particularly when I have not paid particular attention to hydration.  I think of the Natchez Trace 1000K where it was ridiculously hot on the first day and how every cell in my body cried for want of water.  Someone stopped along the way with a cooler of ice cold water and I remember being so grateful.  For I was in need.  There is not much along the Trace itself.  And I also was carrying and used an ice sock:  an old tube sock that I put ice in, rubber band closed, and ride with it around my neck.  And there have been other times.  Fortunately I have never suffered heat exhaustion or stroke, but I can't say that I have not tempted fate. 

 

I know there is not much on this course other than the store stops.  So I will need to be prepared.  Indeed, thinking back on my preparation for brevets and other multi-day trips, I think preparation is one thing I really enjoy.  Trying to think ahead and decide what is a want and what is a need for every ounce means there is more to drag up hills and along the course.   Trying to think of things that could go wrong that I can prepare for because sometimes those things happen that nobody is prepared for. 

 

But planning won't be overly difficult on this ride because there will be a sag wagon carrying our gear.  Still I enjoy going through each bike bag making sure I have what I need to make minor fixes.  Still no definite decision on which bike to ride, but both are ready.  Looking forward to what I hope will be a challenging but doable back to back century week-end.  Fingers crossed.