Getting Ready
14 days till the big ride!
I spent the last week taking care of logistics: shopping for necessary gear, lightening up my bike, getting a tune up, finding a return trip for my bike. (That reminds me, I need to find a return trip for myself!)
Stuff
I pretty much have everything I need by this point. I love to camp, so I’m set in the camping gear department. There are a couple of things I still want to buy.
I’d love an extra pair of cycling shorts. I have two that I love and one that seems promising (I guess I’ll have to try them out on the ride). My problem with shorts is that I don’t like a lot of padding. I think it gets in the way. Everyone kind of looks at me funny when I say that. I think it’s because I have the BEST SADDLE IN THE WORLD! The Selle Ldy. It’s specifically a woman’s saddle, but so many men were using it that they now have a “Man” version (which looks the same, maybe a bit longer, and says “Man” on it).
I also thought I’d pick up an extra jersy, if there’s a good deal on one. I’ve always wanted to try out the wool jerseys… but they’re hella expensive. I think I’m destined to wash some of my gear on the road.
Lightening Up Bluey

My bike, Bluey, is a 2003 Terry Symmetry. I originally installed a rear rack so that I could carry gear for bike camping! I’ve been training with that rack and one pannier this whole season. I love to over pack and feel a sense of safety from just having extra room to stash stuff. This week, I decided to lose the weight and the wind resistance.
Simplicity is beautiful. I removed the rack and added a medium seat wedge pack for my tubes (I need to carry 2 because I have two different sized wheels), patch kit and multi-tool.
So far, I have only used one water bottle in addition to my CamelBak , so I installed another water bottle holder and sawed off the top of an old water bottle to make another storage compartment.
I also figured that I have a lot of space in my CamelBack to put any extra layers of clothing.
I still have my Bento Box snack holder, which I carried my snacks and cellphone in (though I may want to consider a different place for my phone, since my Clif Bar got stuck to it all the time).
I’m seriously considering a small handle bar bag because I’d like to take pictures on the ride and want a handy place to keep my camera and or phone. I’d also like a handy place to keep a route sheet besides my snack bag.
More details on stuff to come. I’m still gathering!
Tune up!
Earlier this week, I called around looking for tuneup availability. Because I waited ’till the last minute, everyone was booked for at least a week and some ’till June 3rd! This wasn’t going to work for me. I still needed to train and needed some time to ride around and evaluate any changes. I tweeted for some guidance and got a few good responses. My new roomie, Mo, suggested a new bike shop he saw open recently, Treat Street Bicycle. It’s a small single mechanic run shop with same/next day service. How absolutely wonderful. I love supporting the little guy. Ben, the owner/mechanic was super nice and got my bike back to me in less than 24 hours! Awesome. If you need a mechanic with a quick turn aroud, Ben’s your guy! Take cash, he’s cash only.
There are more logistics I have to take care of for the ride.
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