Suddenly I realized what time it was. I'd almost forgotten about the Wednesday training race. I dropped what I was doing, buckled up my bag and rushed out of the office, walked over to the bike rack and jumped on the bike. Crap! The rear tire was flat as a pancake. I dug the spare tube and pump out of my bag and got it fixed, but by then it was getting pretty late. By the time I got home, changed clothes and hit the road for the lakefront, the question wasn't whether or not I'd make the training race in time, it was just how many laps I'd miss. Well, the answer was "almost two." I jumped into the race mid-stream, hanging back for about a lap until I got warmed up. I somehow managed to get a pretty good little workout anyway. I guess the biggest problem was keeping clear of Mike W's erratic wheel. I mean, who would go out to ride a group training ride on a track bike with no brake? It would be one thing if he could ride a straight line, but somehow that skill seems to have escaped him all these years. Diego was busy attacking every few minutes, as usual, so that kept the pace high. I was still feeling pretty good as I rode back home from the lakefront. That evening I replaced my cracked Thompson stem with a new 3T one. This time I decided to use an actual torque wrench just to be on the safe side!
This morning it was surprisingly dark as I rode over to the levee for the long ride. Brett was there again, and I swear I heard a couple of people groan when they saw him ride up to the meeting place. The pace this morning was fast, but for the most part it wasn't too crazy, and it wasn't until I got home that I really started to feel tired. In fact, I felt pretty much worthless all day at work. I had to ride home at lunchtime in order to walk The Daughter's dog, who is staying with us while she's coaching over on the northshore. It was hot and muggy, and by the time I got back to the office I was sweaty and tired. I probably should have just stayed at home. Around 5:30 I walked out of the office, feeling kind of glad to have the day behind me, only to find that the tire on my bike was flat again. Damn. A close inspection revealed a tiny piece of glass lodged in the tire that I'd missed the day before.
It was just that kind of day. I think I'll have another glass of wine now.....
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