Stupor Bowl prep
Well, it's 2 hours 'til kickoff. Of the Stupor Bowl that is. I've never done a race like this, and I'm a little apprehensive. Just a little. I'm heading downtown in a few minutes to register, which is where I'll find out start and finish locations. The checkpoints were published earlier in the week, so I've spent just a little time looking at maps. Supposedly, the race is 3 hours to hit as many checkpoints as possible and make it to the finish, via any route (and disobeying any traffic laws) you choose. Checkpoints have different point values based on distance and I assume difficulty in getting there. Yea, a little apprehensive is right. I wish I knew the town a little better. Wind is from the Northeast ... I'll have to somehow factor that into my routes as well.
The good news is I spent the morning tuning up the bike and swapping out the knobbies and installing my slick tires. Took it out for a spin, and it's amazing how much faster I feel with the slicks. Of course, most of the other riders will be riding single speed or fixie road bikes, so I'm still at a disadvantage. Plus, 3 hours will be pushing the limits of my winter endurance. I have no illusions of winning, but I'd like to not finish in the back either.
So, wish me luck.
In other news, my neighborhood is a total clusterfuck right now - dumptrucks are hauling snow onto the streets to get set up for the Loopet cross-country ski race tomorrow. If you're smart, you may want to avoid the Hennepin/Lake area for a few days.
The good news is I spent the morning tuning up the bike and swapping out the knobbies and installing my slick tires. Took it out for a spin, and it's amazing how much faster I feel with the slicks. Of course, most of the other riders will be riding single speed or fixie road bikes, so I'm still at a disadvantage. Plus, 3 hours will be pushing the limits of my winter endurance. I have no illusions of winning, but I'd like to not finish in the back either.
So, wish me luck.
In other news, my neighborhood is a total clusterfuck right now - dumptrucks are hauling snow onto the streets to get set up for the Loopet cross-country ski race tomorrow. If you're smart, you may want to avoid the Hennepin/Lake area for a few days.
posted by equipoise at 1:10 PM
1 Comments:
I honestly don't know why I decided to do this race. Probably just the winter doldrums. And the fact that it's so goddamn unique to have a race - any sort of race - in February. I actually love riding in traffic, but prefer to be polite when doing so. Rode the mountain bike because I'd rather lose on a slow bike than win on a fast bike. (Best if you can blame it on the bike, you see.) Not that there was ever any chance of me winning, considering that most of my preparation occurred 1/2 hr before the race.
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