First screw problem, changing the number plates of my
car, I couldn’t fix them due to the screws, but that’s not very interesting…
So: on Tuesday, preparing the travel I cleaned my bike
and was about to change the brake shoes. The first one went well, the second
didn’t. I had been too lazy to get some pliers, so I took the bike multi tool, well,
the screwdriver to push the old one out the screwdriver slipped and
aaaaaaaaaaaaah, it went directly into my left forefinger. I was scared, because
that finger didn’t look very nice and hurt a lot. My thoughts went directly to
the swim leg on Sunday.
One of the nurses at my work cleaned it on Wednesday morning
said: igh, that doesn’t look very good, but she also gave me back some
confidence telling me that it was not too bad. Anyway it still looks ugly and
hurts.
So, yesterday we took the plane to Rome, we, me and JJ
who I’d surprised on Monday with the ticket to Italy.
We arrived late in Montesilvano, had a gelato and went
to bed at 12pm. I slept in, got up at 10am and could have slept 2 more hours, I
needed a good rest and had a perfect night.
So, this morning, we had some awesome Italian coffee
on the hotel terrace and made plans: I’d put together my bike, ride 2h to know
the race course, have lunch, some beach and a swim in the afternoon. But life
is what happens when you make other plans: when I was fixing the seat post and
screwing down tight, I heard a “clack” and thought: that was NOT good. Result:
the thread is a bit tired already and wasn’t willed to catch the screw. So,
instead of riding and resting we spent the morning and parts of the afternoon
driving around Montesilvano in search of bike shops and hardware shops. We had
some nice lunch and after that we found a corresponding screw and could put
together the bike.
My worst thought was,
if the thread was really screwed up, I’d had to buy a new frame and after my
last purchase, new wheels with Powertap my bank consultant would give me an
upset call.
hilarious, tired and making jokes, better like that than to preocupy
At 4.30pm I went out to get to know the bike course.
To Pescara I have to ride approximately 5k and had the way painted on a paper.
But I was not prepared to what I was about to find out there. Heaps of traffic,
no street names, or wrong ones, until I thought: that’s impossible, I have to
have passed the crossroad where I’d to turn right. I had a roaming look on
google maps and had passed the road I had to take. So I went back, passed it
again (because the road was called Via d’Illo and not Via Po like in google
maps…) When I finally had found the right way and the place where the loop
starts I was riding 25k already and was really angry. The roads were really
bad, the police at the airport had made me to throw away the CO2 cartridges, my
back wheel has a 65cm profile, not a 45 like before and the tube has no long
valve, so with the lucky week I’m having I decided to return to the hotel and
not risk any more accidents. Tomorrow I will get up early, grab my bike, put it
in the car, get to the spot where the loop starts, and ride the loop relaxed
and with good mood, not swearing like today.
a bike bridge, and a pedestrian bridge, separated!
At the end, I have ridden 40km in 1h43m (great average),
but fixed my bike, had a run with short efforts which felt good, had a nice
shower, a lovely dinner and I’m glad that I have inverted some € in another
flight ticket.
Things came out nice today, tomorrow will be even
better, and on Sunday: prepare!
