Seven months later…

‘This GranFondo thing was a good idea back in January,” stammered Moll,  as Athena sent a head swiveling, backward glare at her personna.
“This EVENT has taken a toll, 4000 kilometers in dark, cold, wet winter weather, through scorching heat under the Okanagan sun, one back hub, two carbon bicycle frames and NOW you want to do what? Enter again next year! We haven’t cycled the event yet and you want to register again?” Athena shuddered and showed serious signs of a melt down. “What’s next…?”

 “Track Training on a fixed gear bike…it’s going to be fun…riding indoors in the winter.” Moll proudly announced. 
It has been a long haul, seven months of training, 8 to 10 hours/week and cycling anywhere from 80 to 170 km/week. Cypress mountain has been conquered, Sumas mountain remains untouched. Two coaches later, yes it’s taken two coaches, and the  event is Saturday.

The Specialized bike has had it’s share of problems. First, it was a creaky back hub that had to be replaced (under warranty from Specialized) and most recently a standard safety check indicated that the frame was cracked at the bottom bracket (also under warranty from Specialized).

The pre event jitters have set in, and despite the reassurance of friends and coaches, the anxiety won’t abate. Athena, you have hard, trained consistently and now you need to trust yourself to do the job. The job is 120 km’s from Vancouver to Whistler with a climb of 2800 meters (8960 feet) – no more and no less. The sun will rise and set on Saturday and everything will be okay.