Flagstaff, AZ
ZERO mi, NONE gain, 60s/partly cloudy
After the ride to Flag, Jason and Luca met me at the hotel. Off we headed back down the hill to the cabin about 45 min away. The temps right now are so refreshing. The cabin sits at 7k feet, so the lows were in the 40s, highs 60s. We got good sleep, had a calm morning of espresso and oatmeal.. then walked Luca to the lake and back. It felt normal for a few hours. As if it was just another weekend hanging out at the cabin.
Things came into focus when I mentioned how my wheels were not rolling smoothly on the drive to the cabin. I noticed it the week before the trip.. my mistake for not pushing myself to investigate . After the ride in Flag I tested them for balance and saw they were stem side heavy. I believe this to be the cause of the push back I was feeling at speeds above about 15. I’ve never had wheels be this unbalanced, but know how to correct it. One way is a heavier spoke opposite the valve.. or placing a counter weight onto the wheel. I chose to use golf lead tape pieces that are 3g each.
The only place I could find these were golf stores in Phoenix or overnight Amazon to our house. I tried locations all around Flag to have them shipped to a locker.. no luck. Those locations were 3 day shipping times. So, we made the decision it was worth driving 1.5 hours to the house and then back up to flag (2hrs).
After day 2 of riding my bottom bracket was making noises. I believe I hit a few too many huge pot holes day 1-3 that lead to a few bearings being unevenly worn. Now again, my mistake for not changing the BB before heading to LA. But it was running so smooth, I really think the rough roads pushed this issue. Eh, who knows. Either way Jason has it down on how to change it out, so he did that while I did the wheel balancing.
I managed to create ride elevation cheat sheets for my bars. My plan is to write where SAG stops are on it daily and tape it to my bars. I used to do something similar for racing to help pace and targets. But here, it is very useful to see mileage and elevation coming up, along with sag stops. Trying to memorize them daily or use the larger cue sheets is just not working for me. So here we have it:
*ps checkout the downhill grade tomorrow 🙌🏼
Back at the hotel I was able to set up the new garmin. I had been eyeing the 840 for a few months, the longer battery life sold me. It took a bit, but I got it set up! Excited to use it tomorrow.
When we got to the hotel yesterday I was chatting with the group on how we don't know where our time goes daily. These rest days are your chance to take a break as much as they are playing catch up on laundry, bike maintenance, and self care. I joked about thinking I would be able to watch Netflix every night… yeah not happening yet. Maybe as I get down my timing a bit better daily it might happen.
Day Overview
The day starts at 5:45-6am each day with breakfast or as you find time.. bags start to roll out to the truck around 7-7:10, then you and your bike around 7:15 to pump tires, clean chains, etc. Route details at 7:30, followed by rolling out.
Depending on the ride we have ended anywhere from 1-4:30pm. Rooms are typically ready by 3-4pm. I think this is where the time slips away. While it’s nice to sit and chill, I’m going to try to use this time better.
Once you get your room key, you take your bike to your room, then go grab your bags and start the daily shuffle. This includes recharging lights/garmin, washing your kit, cleaning bottles, showering, texting back everyone who messaged during the ride, and get to dinner in a timely manner. When you get back you need to set aside all the next days items. A good look into weather and items you might want to pack if your brought hydration or fueling foods.
Basically, you’re pretty busy! Busier than I anticipated. I joked with people before the trip I would bike, eat, sleep.. forgot all the little steps in the middle. Ha! I’ll try a little harder this week and see how it goes.
Tomorrow 96 miles to Holbrook via Winslow, AZ!
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