- Bicycle; Giant TCX. Thank you, SPY-Giant-RIDE.
- New tires; Hutchinson Intensive @ 90 psi. Thank you, Rahsaan Bahati.
- New Squadra bicycle rider outfit.
- New Giro helmet. Okay, it was new last year.
- Wheels; Mavic Open Pro, 32-hole aluminum box rim clinchers. Brand new 25,000 miles ago.
- Gears; Shimano 105, 11-12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23-25.
- Chain rings; SRAM 36-46.
- Shoes; Sidi Genius Carbon 5.5. Very old but still the most comfortable shoe I’ve ever worn.
- One water bottle.
- 12 Medjool dates.
- iPhone with Strava app.
- $25 for gasoline.
- Jeans, t-shirt, shoes, socks, underwear for post-ride.
- Suitcase; for courage.
- SPY Quanta Rx sunglasses; for screening out the awfulness.
- SPY Braden Rx horn-rimmed spectacles; for apres-beatdown lounging.
- Sunscreen.
- Wallet.
- Five extra pounds, just in case.
- Six-pack of Optimistic Expectation.
- 32-gallon drum of Dismal Reality.
- Pedals; for dancing on.
- Teeth; for gritting.
- Vocal cords; for groaning.
- Lungs; for bursting.
- 130+ miles; for hurting.
- 11,000+ feet of elevation; for bragging.
- Mind; for the centrally focused beam of nirvana that, beginning here, will spread to every cell in my body at the end of the day.
*No baby seals were clubbed in the making of this checklist.
** But they will be tomorrow.
***Total elapsed time for composition, proofing, and hitting the “Send” button: 19 minutes and 40 seconds.
Good luck to all who dare take on the BWR tomorrow…can’t wait for the recap/postmortem…
Wish I could be there, but I’ve already got such a good excuse. #workingsundayssucks #deadbabyseal
Ah. This is great! A perfect list for me to crib from before next weekend’s Rapha Prestige. Thanks, Wank.
Good luck tomorrow, Wanky!
Thanks!
Phew. Close. Keep writing. Thanks!
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