Playing catch up here...
After the embarrasment that was my mechanical situation at Night Weasels, I put in the sort of effort to get my gear ready that I should have 4 weeks ago. I taped and glued some previously loved file treads (I effin love file treads), shipped the tyres that I rolled at Sucker Brook to Tire Alert to get new base tape, and glued up a brand new pair of Fangos using copious amounts of glue.
I've got this tendancy to try and use things up before I replace them, not wanting to start in on the replacement item until I was sure that the old stuff was spent. This kept me on the fence for a two weeks about what to do with with those rolled tyres... I knew they needed base tape and didn't want to tap into the new ones just yet, but it was going to take time to get those back from Florida... Finally I just decided to move on to the new tubbies and hold the old ones as back up.
One problem with the file treads: the stumpy little valve barely stuck through the rim, too short to get a pump on. I needed valve extenders and actually stopped at the LBS on the way home from the Weasel to pick some up.
All pumped up (pun!) about rolling tubbies again I staged in the 3rd row based on my non-existant VERGE points in this non-VERGE race. Huh? (Side note - PVD is a great course but the poor PR job that they do will be it's downfall) At the gun, I notice that the rear wheel is soft with the first pedal stroke. Ya gotta be kiddin' me...
After two turns it was almost completely flat. I called for friend John Menard (over the course tape thing by now) to grab my wheel in the pit, and I continued past. In hindsight, I should have ducked in a half lap into the race, but that's how Night Weasels went down, and just wanted to race a bit. Brant actually said he was sorry that this kept happening to me. What a pal.
After 3/4 of a lap I pitted and got a quick change to get back into the action but this time I was DFL. Working back up through the field I caught G-Ride at the start of lap 3, pulled him along for 3 turns, then realized that he had stacked it up before we reached the beer garden. I caught Brant who had flatted as well, and saw Bill Shattuck and Keith Gauvin walking their bikes too. The course was unusually unkind this day.
I saw JT Ferraro and Wade Summers in the group ahead, but they were racing eachother and I was just time trialing. Translation: the gap was coming down until one to go, when the extra motivation to win the group kicks in and they began to pull away. I rolled in for 25th and another bad day - results wise.
There was a bouncy tent thing... the kids loved that.
Apres race I saw that the POS valve extender I got at Trek Stop had been knocked cock-eyed and let all the air out. Not sure if it happened as the pump was coming off it or it just got bumped, but the thing wasn't going to cut it. Fortunately Ge Willi had some proper extenders and he hooked me up for day 2.
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2 comments:
1. I did not stack it up, SOLO stacked it up as I was setting him up. I merely ran him over.
2. The awesome valve extender is in fact Schwalbe, not Tufo. Hey, Schwalbe is a team sponsor and just plain fun to say.
3. Was so bummed about the wreck, I was ready and rested for you to come by, for once. It was all playing out according to plan. I was gonna surf that wheel to the promised land. Alas. Not.
the photo was for demonstration purposes only and it wasn't a schwalbe extender, it was Innovation or some other thing. ge willi would know.
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