Elicit Substance

Yesterday (Saturday,) I was trying to go for my final long ride before I pack up and head to Texas. I was really hoping to hit 80 - 90 miles to boost my confidence. I told my husband that anything less than 65 miles would be a disappointment to me. Everything was going well until about mile 62 when I was trying to unclip at a rest stop to take a quick break.

The quick break turned into a long break when my right shoe wouldn't unclip. When I finally managed to free the shoe, I realized that the entire cleat system had remained in the pedal. I got out the multi-tool from my bag and, by turning the float as low as possible (not that I ride with it tight anyway,) I was able to pop the cleat out with the flat head screwdriver. I think it's the first time I was happy to be carrying a multi-tool instead of just a set of hex wrenches.

Amazingly, the screws, instead of being stripped, had just unscrewed themselves from the shoe plate. The was especially surprising to me since I had just tightened the screws before I went out on the road. I've been making several adjustments to the cleats on my right shoe as that seems to be the reason I've had some foot numbing issues.

Well, I sat out there for awhile fiddling with the screws and the cleats and I finally managed to set and tighten them up but decided that when I got back to the car, it would be wise to see if the cleats were loose again before finishing up my ride.

Back at the car, I took off my shoe to see what was what and, instead of putting my foot on the ground, I stepped up to rest it in the interior of my car to avoid the dirty ground. Too bad I missed and wound up whacking my foot on the underside of the car frame.

Ow. Pain. End of ride at 72 miles. This is why I shy away from step classes.

I got a decent night's sleep to recover and the foot feels much better. I might lose a toenail but that's a parade I've marched in before. At least I'm not limping around like I was last night.

Today's planned swim and final ride with my friend and trainer was canceled as well. She has had a worse week when it comes to battling unexpected health issues. We were wondering what planet went retrograde or whatever to cause all of this untimely nonsense. We are both in desperate need of vacations right now.

So, that's it for rides in Massachusetts until the Hotter 'n Hell Hundred. I'm planning on taking my bike to the LBS tomorrow to get it boxed up for shipping. I'll be shipping off myself this Friday and leaving hubby in charge of the fort. He refuses to set foot in Texas in August.

On the bright side, with about 200 miles on the new Bontragers, I was finally able to push up the tire pressure to 120 psi. I don't know why but hearing the tire beads click into the wheel rim while I am inflating the tire is a very comforting sound. That means that if I lower the pressure to 105 psi for the HHH as Roy from the Pedal Pushers suggests, the tire has plenty of room to expand in the heat without stressing the walls. It also means that if I do get a flat, putting the tire back on the wheel will be easier than when they were fresh out of the back room of my local bike shop.

I'll take the small victories.