I spent all day today getting my bike in tip top shape. I took off the old wheels, the chain, and completely disassembled my brakes. I cleaned and greased all the threads in the brake assembly and installed new Cane Creek brake pades I installed rim tape on the new Mavic wheels and attached the cassette body to the freehub. I pumped up the tubes and installed the wheelset. I soaked my chain in Simple Green and removed all grit and grime. I was pleased to find out that this SRAM chain has a master link, which will make cleaning the chain off the bike trivial from now on. I also removed my saddle and cleaned and greased all the adjustment bolts. Of course I cleaned the derailleurs and the overall frame as best I could. I did feel my spokes were a bit too loose, so I rode up to Revolution Cycles to see a mechanic. I don't have a truing stand or spoke key, so any adjustment is beyond my capabilities. He said that they were low in tension but he wouldn't have time to finish it before they closed at 6p. He said that racing on them should be ok since it was a road bike and not likely to see many hard bumps. When I finally finished all that, the day had passed me by.


All systems go. After installing a new wheelset and brakes, this shiny new machine is ready to hit the road. 

By the time I made it home, any thoughts I had of touring the course beforehand were out the window. I packed my sweats, singlet, shorts, shoes, etc. I made sure I had all the necessary tools I might need as well as extra tubes. We loaded up the CR-V and were on our way at 7:45p.

We made one mistake in directions, but otherwise made good time. The only damper on the trip was the constant rain that pelted the bikes. I was a bit worried that all my hard work would be ruined, but after the rain stopped, the bikes dried well and I checked the adjustment at a gas station just outside Lakehurst. We pulled into the base just after midnight and had no problems thanks to Jess being an Ensign and the DOD tags on the car windshield. We drove around a bit before settling on parking the car in the parking lot of the base hotel and hitting the sack in the back of the car. The sleeping conditions left a lot to be desired, but it was well worth it to save the $130-$160 that hotel rooms more than twenty miles away were asking for a room.