Mosey Monday and Tepid Tuesday

With the Flèche now less than a week away, preparations are in full swing.  Part of that is gentle rides all week.  Monday I rode the fixie and had a nice ride.  Today it was the Kona with the luggage trunk on the back.  The most notable thing about the rides were simply that they were ridden, and that daylight is a nice novelty once again.  Oh, that’s not quite true.  I jumped onto the wheel of a couple of fast guys this morning and had a very quick ride from Joyce Lane to the end of the trail.  It was my 4th quickest time and at the end I was ready to pull in front for a while because the lead cyclist was lagging.  Drafting makes all the difference in the world.

There is more to Flèche preparation than simple rides.  Monday late morning I went and drove the part of the route that we had not yet scouted.  I noted a few challenges with the cue sheet, amended that, and updated the files for the Garmin.  Monday evening, we had a pre-Flèche happy hour at a local watering hole where we passed around some good-natured ribbing and talked Flèche over a few brews.  Spouses were invited, but only two showed up.  Today I pulled together a few more items I needed, including latex gloves (I was out) and some duct tape (emergency repairs).  I’ll be preparing my final list of items later today or tomorrow, and start packing the trunk as efficiently as possible.  It looks like the weather is going to cooperate … if you believe the longer range forecasts.

Of course, all this is alongside some very busy days at the church and plenty of other things to keep me occupied.

These Rides: 44.2 miles
Month: 156.2 miles
2012: 1089.5 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 14,943.1 miles

Days to Flèche: 4