Notes Along the Way - Week 2
This week held really positive aspects, but also some mounting anxiety about what is ahead: flying with my bike to Florida and participating in the HuRaCan 300 Grand Depart.
Highlights of the week:
Wanting to build on the New Year momentum, I challenged myself further out of my (beginner) bike mechanic comfort zone. I put the new tools to use: cassette tool, chain whip, chain pliers. I took my cassette off for the first time and gave it a deep clean. I installed a freshly waxed chain and shortened it using a chain breaker I’d been carrying around but never used before.
There were moments of uncertainty as I put my bike on the stand and started taking things apart, figuring things out as I went. Then, how exactly does the cassette stack back together? Is the lockring tight enough? Why does putting the rear wheel back on still feel so awkward? And then, of course, the quick link wouldn’t snap into place. I texted friends for advice and learned the trick: hold the rear brake, step on the pedal, let physics do the work. Click. All this was an immediate boost in confidence and a stronger bond with my bike.
I also rode a 200k permanent—a RUSA thing. The long-term goal is an R12: one 200k each month for a full year. It had been about two months since I’d ridden this distance, mostly due to winter and weather, but a rare upper-40s temperature January day opened a narrow window and I took it.
The ride wasn’t smooth. It started in misty fog. There was a strong headwinds at times. And then, a flat tire ten miles from the finish. Previous flat experience helped me tackle it confidently. The distance was a challenge and I focused on a 10-20 mile stretch at a time. Eventually, I finished, adding confidence to my training.
I entered the HuRaCan 300 in Florida and it is fast approaching. There are 2 challenges to this trip: flying with my bike and the bikepacking race itself. The event looks super fun and it starts near where my sister lives. How could I not use this for my “practice flying with a bike” goal? And honestly, at this point in the winter, I’m craving somewhere warm.
Still, it’s a stretch. The distance feels ambitious for this time of year. The terrain is unfamiliar and I am planning around many variables. Can I really imagine myself camping in unfamiliar Florida swampland? I oscillate between excitement and anxiety.
Here is what I will be tackling in the next few weeks:
Practice packing the bike in a case
Adjust the dropout flip chip to run wider tires for sand (50mm!), then realign the brakes
Mount those tires (thankfully, I learned tubeless setup last year)
Learn how to use my new choros dura bike computer
Practice with my uswe hydration pack
Dial in a minimalist bikepacking setup and test whether bags even fit this bike—I haven’t bikepacked with it yet
Plan resupply points and overnight stops, knowing the race director won’t announce route direction until just a few hours before the start
So, the goal is to keep training and preparing. Challenging myself to get out of my comfort zone is the best way I can think of to make sure I continue to grow in life, as a cyclist and as a person. I’m learning that confidence doesn’t arrive all at once, and it doesn’t come from things going perfectly. It shows up through openness to experience and a pinch of stubbornness to figure things out. The next few weeks—and the HuRaCan itself—feel like they have the potential to set the tone for a really good year, if I stay open to everything there is to learn.
