Tuesday, April 24

Rain

Rain is good and bad right? It brings our green spring to life and it also floods things like especially overbuilt suburbia when there is too much.
Denver got about a month's worth of rain (or snow) today depending on your particular elevation.
A few states to the east all the TransIowa contenders are hoping for enough rain to make the gravel packed and fast and not so much that we're in for a repeat of last year's unrideable mudfest. What will we get? Well we've got another couple days to wait to find out.

The bike is ready except for tomorrow's final shakedown of the new chain and computer gadgetry. The bags are 90% packed. Just need to relax now and get some sleep. The weather will be what it will be and I'm going to give it my best non-refundable plane ticket shot no matter what. Saying stuff like that is supposed to help me sleep at night right? Finishing is the number one goal...

9 comments:

UltraRob said...

Good luck at TI!

At my house it was mostly rain but there was horizontal snow all day at work. We certainly can use the rain but the timing was bad for me. We're building an attached garage and I cut part of the edge of the roof off the house Saturday to join the garage roof in. We didn't get the new roof extended over the house.

We got some rain Sunday night and water started pouring in our master bedroom window. At 11 o'clock at night, I was out lying on the roof in the rain and hail tacking up plastic. Last night I kept waking up worring the wind was going to blow the plastic off and water would start coming in again. The plastic is still up but the bathroom smells wet wood even though it has stayed dry inside.

I'm hoping to get a long ride in this weekend but I'll have to see how my construction is going.

Dave said...

I'm making the call right now:

Reasonable conditions and no major mechanicals or foibles and you'll crack the top 10 with ease. Huge ease.


When you have cross winds, sometimes you can draft the hill by riding on the windward side of the road. For real. Iowa winds can be fucking weird.

It's all in the mind.

Marni said...

I agree with Dave. You're going to do awesome. Just stay calm and your body will take care of the rest. I'll love you and take care of you when you get back no matter what. For today, focus on the time trial. I love you.

Endurosnob said...

I don't know Dave, but I think he's onto something. You're going to fly.

Jill Homer said...

You'll do awesome in Trans Iowa. Your training over the past four months has been unbelievable and and it seems like you want it so bad. The Iowan mud would probably have to eat your bike for you not to finish. But good luck just the same!

Dave said...

Best of luck in Iowa! Given some of the riding pics you have posted this year I don't there is much weather that can slow you down. You're going to do great.

jessica said...

I'm soo excited for you for your race! You will do great. I can feel it. Please be careful...I don't want a broken brother.

Love you.
Mom and I are cheering for you.
And I'm sure this weekend I'll be riding with the new RIG owner.

xx, Jessie

Doug said...

Yeah, I agree with all the above. You're going to do awesome! You've put in some amazing training. You couldn't be better prepared!

Todd Plesko said...

Good Luck. Can't really image sitting on a bike seat for 34 hours or even 24 hours.

Be careful and look out for crazed farm implement drivers. Remember the type you have to worry about on Columbia bottoms in Illinois. I bet there are similar types in Iowa.

Dad