photo by d. scott gregory deck early morning click on photo to enlarge

Woke up way too early this morning to prepare for the Cumberland Valley Century in Clear Spring, MD. The event was fairly uneventful, in fact I've been doing so many of these Centuries, this one was rather boring. Albeit, it was a beautiful day and it was a beautiful quick ride - a mere 101 miles through rolling valleys. The temperature was bearable - it was early and I managed to finish up before the full heat of the day kicked in. I enjoyed the food along the way and at the finish. It wasn't a huge event - but I did bump into a few buddies. We pacelined the majority of the way which made the ride fast and easy. I was the "goat" on the hills - was fun.

Drove back and made a few stops at roadside produce stands to pick up some fresh veggies. Came home and popped in the pool to relax for an hour then sat on my deck for a while then took a well deserved nap.

Woke up and ran to the grocery store to get a few items in preparation for the dinner I'm making for my parents tomorrow night at their house when they return from their lake house (they need a little help mowing the lawn and unloading).

Welp - time to get my rear in gear to start preparing/cooking for tomorrow night.

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Thank Goodness it's Freekin Friday! I am so relieved that this week is over - such a brutal week at work. Today was almost a dream from the rest of the other days - in fact, went so smoothly - we left a little early. Which was fine by me - I had to get my flarked up chain problem on my bike fixed before I could go on a training ride.

I drove to the place where I got the "missing link" and had the mechanic look at it - he was equally perplexed but then used this great tool (pictured) to grab the links and unpry the situation. Sure enough, the link flew across the shop. He said a few terse words and then just grabbed a new linkset and showed me how to put it on (duh..I have done this hundreds of times). He did not charge me for it, but I demanded to order that special tool (only 14 bucks).

It was a misty and rainy day all day long. I was already suited up to go on the training ride before I left to go to the bike shop - I thought...I'd better get in a quick stretchie before tomorrow's century in Clear Spring, MD. I only put in a misty cool 30 miler. Came home and changed clothes, ran to the store and Home Goods and Michaels craft store to get a few things. Booring.

Will spend the evening wrapping my handlebars with new corktape and making more fricken grapevine balls. Ha!

Sheesh - I need to meet some new people

(actually very tired...and need to head to bed early to prepare for tomorrow's ride)

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Unsure about today - everything was just a little off keel. But I managed to soldier thru all the simple quirks.

Work was just like yesterday - completely stressful. I attempted to do a 44 mile training ride after work, all was fine, beautiful weather and a pretty sunset. I couldn't meet up with my bike club initially - was too late off work, but I ponied upside them on the last of their last two loops. I ended up doing two more solo.

Came home and rushed in to clean/lube my bike. Set up the whole effort out on my deck and had a crapload of a time trying to remove the "missing link" (pictured, a two part link that "seemlessly" unlocks and slips off...managing a quick way to remove the chain and clean it)....i was finally able to unclasp it and then FWOOOOP!...the whole chain unsnapped with the spring tension of the rear derailer...saw the tiny 1/2 of the link shoot about 30 feet over the edge of my deck into the netherworld.

Crap!

But!..Ta Da!...to save the day...about a week ago I was at the new bike shop about a mile from my house and wanted to pick up a few things...including of all things a silly (yet very important) backup item...just for this very occasion....a Whipperman "Connex" link. I KNEW in the back of my mind this could happen. Fuckin' Murphey's Law.

So, I finished cleaning my bike and lubing everything, cleaned the chain and put it on with total confidence that my silly purchase a week ago was to save the day. Well, to make a long story short - I managed to get it on, albeit way too tight (may be the wrong size) and it's completely FUBAR. Beautifully cleaned bike and all lubed n sparkly - but the damn chain has a crink in it where the link is waaaayy too tight. I can't take it off...I don't have the right tools. Will have to take it to the triathalete shop across the street from my office to see if I can gain some salvation in the mechanically proficient. Uh!.

Tomorrow will be wicked at work again, but trying to finish up shit so that I DON'T have to work on Saturday - because I'm doing a Century.

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I need a massage - really bad.

Even after a really long day at the office started running at 8:30am until 7pm, no lunch break - trying to finish up a huge ass proposal, then heading out on a long "destressing" bike ride afterwards - my neck and back are still wrenched from all the stress.

Was a fast and furious workday. The pressure was on - balls-to-the-wall frantic mess of trying to put together a proposal last minute. I was basically locked in one of out conference rooms all day with a few colleagues with a no-distraction sign on the door so we could compose a 70 page proposal. Furious copy n paste & tons of creative writing to merge it all together. Spent 2 hours writing a complete white paper and executive summary from scratch. We managed to surface at about 5pm to fumble a well managed draft. Then we spent 2 more hours fleshing out the details and wordsmithing it to death.

I said..."let's call it quits y'all..I'm completely fried".

So I biked out to Purcellville and back - 44 miles total. Was PERFECT weather. Beautiful sunset, cool yet warm and met up with one of my club buddies for the majority of the ride. Exchanged stories and just hammered the chains til we got back to just around dark.

Drove home and unloaded my junk and sat out on my deck after a thorough watering of the plants/flowers - sat in one of the chairs, cracked open a beer and just sighed. I am wiped out. Just gonna try to relax tonight - tomorrow will be equally brutal - and my club ride will prove to be "fun".

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photo by d. scott gregory rain/sweatfest click on photo to enlarge

Hums Til' Tuesday's, "Voices Cary" while I recover from tonight's training ride. Oy vay - got rained on hard, twas hot as hell but very refreshing to be out there on a 44 miler. Big stipulation - to wear my clear slicker or not on humid days. The temperature dropped down to about 78 degrees - but it was still very warm. Wearing a clear slicker is like wearing the equivalent of a trash bag - even if it has built in vents. I musta sweat like 2 gallons out there.

I didn't even put the slicker on until I got to Shirlington when it started to full on pour. Granted - my jersey was already a sopping swamp of sweat. The entire ride back I couldn't tell what was rain or sweat - it all tasted the same.

Got back to my car and took this pic (click to enlarge). Had to change into dry clothes for the drive home (which always a delicate procedure because I have a large towel that I need to wrap around myself in order to manipulate sopping wet lycra cycling shorts off while not allowing any of private parts to get exposed from the rubber band action of wet lycra against dry terricloth). Managed fine, drove home and completed a few domestic things - did a quick bike cleaning and just trying to relax after a really busy day at work.

Got an email from one of my fave cycling authors - was glad to get a response (again). It seems that he's writing a crime novel - in my last correspondence back to him, I asked him to check out the hilariously fucked up (and dated) stylings of Mickey Spillane - he responded back "...On your suggestion, sort of, I went out and bought a few Mickey Spillane books (not on tape). Man, are those a hoot! I wish I could write stuff like that." Made my day to get that email.

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Ahh...Monday Monday....

Was a relatively unshitty day without drama - but tons of stress and productivity to be had in the work scene. The weather was quite beautiful out, albeit hot. I was rearing all day to get out there in the thick of the humidity for a long training ride. Managed to get out of the office at a good clip and headed out to Purcellville and back. Such a beautiful day - and wasn't as hot as I thought.

Finished up and went to get my haircut and run a few errands. Came home and watered my deck garden, watched a little tv, cooked dinner and finished correspondence - including a well needed calendar...

I present my Calendar of silly cycling events for the rest of the season:

(note: each of these are full Century rides..100+ miles, ones noted with (***) are race competetive events with comparative endurance to what I stupidly sustained at the Mountains of Misery)

August 20th: Cumberland Valley Century, Clear Spring, MD
August 28th: Reston Century, Reston, VA

September 10th: Civil War Century, Thurmont, MD*** (10,750 feet of climbing)
September 11th: Indian Head 100 Century, Indian Head, MD
September 18th: Bridge to Bridge Century, Lenoir, NC*** (13,250 feet of climbing)
September 25th: Artie Levin 100, Buchanan, VA (near Roanoke, mere 5,400 climbing)

October 8th: Seagull Century, Salsbury, MD
October 15th: Savage Century, Newark, DE

The Bridge to Bridge Century will be the greatest accomplishment...it's, excuse my french...holy freekin hard - an amalgam of where the concept of God meets pain, from what I've been told. It is rated as the hardest century race on the east coast. Lance rode this in 1999 and certified it as "you gotta be fuckin crazy" kinda idocracy.

I'm on the short list for next year's Assault on Mt Mitchell. Drools. Heck, gotta get over a fear of heights. In addition, I am in correspondence with some folks who did the Race Across America last year...I'm flirting with the idea of joining the team. As I said...flirting.

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What a relaxing day...slept in late then headed out on a nice 64 mile loop from here to West Virginia and back. Very hot and hilly. Got chased by a few dogs...grr. I came across a few folks I know from my bike club and we pacelined back. It's nice being part of a community of freaks like me. Came home popped in the pool and then relaxed on my deck listening to a clear earshot of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts performance beaming from Live at Belmont.

Booked hotel reservations for a few events coming up in September - the trek down to Lenoir for the Bridge to Bridge will be a long ass haul.... 9 hours and 18 minutes drive to my hotel in Morganton, NC. I hate driving that long. It's not condusive to fly with bike, car rental, et al. So it'll be a long weekend.

Sunday night anxiety settles in - gonna be a rough week at work.

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