Race Prep

Besides the many many hours of training there are other aspects of getting ready for a race. First and foremost is prepping the bike. The first race of the season like the upcoming Pine Flat means thinking about any and all maintenance and set up issues that have been on hold through the winter. In the case of my race bike this entailed changing the chain which was getting a bit old and changing out the rear cog set which had at least 15K miles on it. While I'm gentle on equipment in general it's better to go into the competition knowing that everything will work correctly. Also, professional mechanics catch thinks like the cracked, rusted and generally jacked shifting cables that I would never notice till they failed in the middle of a race. The winter tires are taken off for lighter livelier race tires and latex tubes switched out for the butyl. Last, but most importantly I think it imperative to put fresh bar tape on the bike. I prefer white as it is the team leader color and since I'm the only guy on my team in my age category I exercise my imperative. The white tape is a holdover from the cotton tape days where white tape would only look good for a day or two and then start looking grimy. It was about looking good at the start. Some Italian pros go so far as to shine their shoes and spray a bit of cologne on their uniforms for that extra attention to detail, and respect for your peers. I found out today that the new team kit will arrive the morning before the race. This is frosting on the cake to be able to put the new uniform on for the very first race. I'm stoked!