Candy

Sunday I took the Epic out and realized it had major issues. Major issues that I didn't have time to address this week because of my trip and work. I need a whole new drivetrain. It's effed up. I have to choose what I want, order parts and take it to the shop to get it worked on. No time for that. Plus, I really don't know what I want as far as chain rings go. I need to think about this one. It's not a quick fix. I don't want to spend that much money and not be happy about what I chose.

I was totally bummed and prepared to ride a bike that may or may not shift this weekend at the Wildcat Epic. Oh yes. I forgot to write this in the beginning. I just registered for the Wildcat Epic. My legs and body took a beating in DC and the fact that I still feel like doing it is a good sign so I registered. I even thought about doing it on my SS but people who have done the event told me that would be painful because of all the long flats and rail trails. I was going to take the How to Turn Your Bike Into A SS seminar at my house as a refresher just in case things went south this weekend. Well, that would probably still be a good idea.



For a chick, I'm hard on bikes. It's no secret. Even if you don't know anything about bikes but know me, you can imagine that I would be hard on bikes. I have been told I should be a product tester for many different items--shoes, laptops, cell phones, clothes, deodorant, etc. So I was a little shocked when the man who has first hand knowledge of my trail of destruction offered to let me ride his hard tail. That's love ladies. Who needs flowers, jewelry and dinners?

I got home from DC and this baby was waiting on me. My saddle and all. I got the lecture that this does not mean I get to ride it all the time, that it is mine, that it will ever be mine, that it is mine, it is not mine, do not give it a name, when you name things you seem to think those things are yours, blah, blah, blah...

So the exhaustion I was feeling disappeared and NBS (New Bike Syndrome) took over. Wait. I will edit that as to not anger anyone. BBS (Borrowed Bike Syndrome) took over. I hadn't planned on going to Waway earlier. But now I had to. Just had to. I had planned on an easy ride but that wasn't possible. I tried. I was just having too much fun. Sure some of the downhills were a little sketchy because I'm used to riding a fully or 29er down them, but the bike made up for that in acceleration and climbing. After riding it for a little while I realized why we made the executive decision to keep grip-shifts on my Epic. Sure a little of it has to do with my thumb joints and how I used to have trouble when my hands were bad but mostly it's because I'm semi-retarded when it comes to shifting and shifters. That was the most painful part of the ride. Before I would shift I would say out loud for all the bears to hear, "Now which one makes it easier? Oh, right. Shit. Wrong one. Black one makes it harder dumbass. Now how do I shift in the front?" Painful stuff.

I got a little better. Not great. But better. I made it home just before dark and Mike asked me how the bike was and I said, "Like candy." I don't even know what that means. And what a dorky thing to say. That's all I had. Like candy.