T53 - Technical Difficulties...ABORT! - Bike

Gainesville

WARNING: POST CONTAINS EXCESSIVE ADULT LAGNUAGE

I had brought my bike into the shop the day before I left for Miami. The main thing I needed was to get the fucking computer fixed, I just can't ride right without it now. Sad, but true. I also needed to get the back wheel "trued," which basically means realigned to where it's supposed to be. This was likely a result of my getting rear ended by a Mercedes on a freeway in Orlando back in May. My rear tire was also pretty worn, so I got that replaced as well.

So I get to the bike shop and the first thing I ask the guy is "Did you guys get that computer fixed?" to which he gives me a very quizzical look, picks up the work order, and says "I forgot to write that down." Awesome.The one fucking thing I needed done, and dipshit didn't write it down. But, as he rolled the bike out to me, it was working, so I took it home.

I really fucking hate putting my bike into my car, as a 4 door Saturn S2 is not exactly made for carrying bicycles. I've figured out how to do it, but on a day like today where I was just not in the mood for any sort of glitches, fitting it in was not a chore I looked forward to. So I did what I always do when things require any sort of precision:I forced it in. Taking it out was easy, but as I rolled the bike down the ramp of my parking garage, the computer went out again. As someone who has been known to go into a fit of seething rage if a restaurant dares to put cheese on my burrito, you can imagine my fury when my fucking computer was still out. I took the bike back (easier to put back in my car again) and tried my hardest not to flip out at the bike store people. They're nice, and I need to keep a good relationship. The kid fucked around with it for 10 minutes before I left to pick up my sister for lunch.

I picked my sister up, and she commented on how much bigger and tighter my calves looked, and how much weight I'd lost around my midsection. Julie is never one to hold back on compliments, but she won't blow smoke up my ass either. So that was nice to hear. It was also the highlight of the training day.

After lunch, I get back to the bike shop and the guys tells me my sensor is dead. I'd have to come back on Monday when Tommy, the owner, is there to see if they'll fix it under the warranty. They fucking better. Especially since I bought the thing at this shop less than a year ago. At this point I had 3 options. First I thought

"Leave the bike here since you only have 2 short rides this week. Just use the stationary at GHFC until then."

then

"Well, I could just buy a new one now and keep going."

or

"Well, the thing is mission capable. No reason to miss training. Sack up and deal with not having the info you want." Needless to say, I chose option 3. Trevor told me to "listen to your body, you know how fast you go." Which I suppose is partly true, but I need external motivation. Whatever, I looked at it as a challenge.


Bike - 90 Minutes

2 Lipodrene

So I got home and took the bike out, computer-less, at 6. By the time I hit the head of Hawthorne and had no traffic noise, I noticed this scraping sound in my wheel. I had been riding well, but the sound was driving me nuts. So I stopped and spun the wheels to see if I could figure out what it was. Nothing. Rode some more, still scraping. So I shifted from big ring to small ring. Still nothing. I freewheeled to see if it was the chain, and the noise continued. I got to the beginning of the hammock and decided the bike was officially in worse shape than when I'd brought it in. I fucking hate that shit. I hate depending on people to fix your shit, and they make it worse.

Really ruined not only the ride, but more or less the whole afternoon. I am not a fan of these short rides anyway, and this one was particularly demotivating. I don't like to abort workouts, but I felt like this one may have caused some serious damage had it continued. And again, it was short. I ended up being out just under an hour. Fucking shitty ride, and these fuckers better get this shit unfucked tomorrow, because I'm not dealing with any more technical malfunctions. I'm putting in the fucking work, I expect the same out of my equipment. Thank God this week is light on bikes so I can take the time to get it fixed. Next week is bike intensive and, somewhat fortunately I guess, Klueber once again flaked on our East Coast roadtrip. Meaning that, on the bright side, I can get in all the training I need.

I have to add in some rest days, though, because I had counted on having more days off than called for on this trip. If I don't take them, I'm going to finish the cycle 2 weeks before race day, not exactly what I want to do. I'm sure I'll figure it out. No Klueber, you did not do me a favor by canceling the trip. This is what you call finding a silver lining.