March 15th, 2007 | 5:55 pm | Uncategorized | RSS 2.0 | respond | ping

–clean bike.  Soon.

–install dynohub and lights on bike.

–go for a ride in the dark to test position of lights and try not to crash when I can’t see the road.

–pull lights off in frustration and rig them on with zip ties and electrical tape.

–measure bike box to make sure it’s going to meet the airline requirement of 115″ and 75 lbs.  Worry when it doesn’t.

–make a packing list for Wisconsin.

–test ride in the new shorts I bought today at The Spin Cycle spring sale.

–install trunk rack on the back of the bike for carrying tools that I’m not entirely sure how to use.

–fill out the forms that I need to mail to Pac tour by April 1st with my travel/bike/health info for brevet week.

–register for two more NC brevets plus a couple other local centuries.

–order free reflective tape from RUSA (I read somewhere that they’re giving some away; wonder if it’s run out yet).

–stick reflective tape all over bike and gear, so that I light up like a Christmas tree.

–figure out how to install that darn rear light.

–read and memorize instructions for changing watch to DST, as well as programming alarm feature.  Very Important.

–buy more accelerade.

–revise packing list for Wisconsin.

–make bus reservation for self and bike and box from O’Hare to Beloit, and back again.

–find reflective sash required by ACP and RUSA.

–conclude that I never liked that sash anyway, and buy a new one.

–figure out a way to install fenders on a bike that wasn’t built for fenders.

–give up and ask Matt at the bike shop to solve fender problem.  Bike probably needs a tune-up anyway.  Clean it first.

–book a flight to Paris for self and darling son.

–select a hotel (in the city; not in the ‘burbs, where I stayed last time).

–panic when college French proves inadequate for requesting transportation to and from airport for giant bike box.

–review future tense conjugations of irregular verbs, just in case I need to tell someone what I’m going to do, rather than what I just did.

–convince Mr. Helpful that I really should take a real camera, both to Wisconsin and to France.

–plot a route to ride bike from hotel to start in St. Quentin en Yvelines.  Twice.

–figure out a way to attach mace to bicycle, in case Wisconsin has lots of vicious dogs (Chatham County does, France doesn’t).

–order some more accelerade, and clean the bike again.

–think about how to get a cell phone in France.  And maybe internet, so that I can blog!

–Pedal.