What’s next?

Well, after a fun day in the snow, the next race in the 2010 Winter Short Track Series was up next. However, the weather had different plans. Since the roads were still covered in ice all over Charlotte on Sunday, the race was cancelled. What the hell was I gonna do? I had to ride, but the bad weather meant that no trails would be open. That also meant that taking out the road bike would be hazardous to my health. Skinny tires plus ice would not be a good mix. I had an idea though. I would borrow the trainer from Little Miss Sunshine and get some “saddle time” in.



Yep, I had to ride indoors yet again. At least it was a little more pleasant this time though. I popped in a movie and pedaled away. I rode four about 45 minutes or so, working up a sweat in the nice warm confines of my house. When I was almost finished, I heard an odd sound outside. I hopped off the bike and saw that Little Miss Sunshine had begun shoveling the ice from the driveway without me. The right thing to do was to go downstairs and help her, and that I did. The driveway was a mess, and it had to be cleared if we had any intention of going to work the next day. I grabbed a shovel and helped out.



Mother Nature helped a little, as some of the ice was melting from the streets. I needed fuel to finish the job though. After a quick check in the beer fridge, I noticed I was getting a little low. With the driveway cleared enough to get out, I headed up to our local grocery store to re-supply.





The snow plow had been hard at work in the parking lot, but the roads up to the store still sucked. I grabbed my rations and headed back home. I quickly restocked the fridge and surveyed it’s status.



After pouring an ice cold brew, I thought about how to keep it cool while I worked on the rest of the ice and snow removal. I know it must sound weird to drink cold beer outside on a cold day, but that’s how I roll. Piss-warm beer is not an option here at B-43. I came up with a (not so) clever idea to maintain my beer’s cool temperature.



At least me and my beer would be cold while I worked. I continued shoveling the area around the driveway, and I was pleased to have my beer at the perfect temperature. With the help of the sun, the work was nearly done.



I briefly considered bringing out the Greatest Short Track Bike on Earth for some fun in the leftover snow, but that bad idea quickly passed. I haven’t really touched it since the last race, and it was in need of some TLC. It looks like I need to have a little shop time to figure out why the brakes quit working every time I ride it. I know the muddy racing conditions are partly to blame, but the main problem seems to be cable tension. The brake cables are brand new, so I guess I can rule that out. Maybe I can just chalk it up to shitty V-Brake action. I am seriously considering investing in a disc brake conversion kit for the rear (the fork is already disc compatible.) They are so expensive though. I can’t justify spending a shitload of money on a bike that I won’t race (or even ride) very much. There has to be some way to get with the times without investing a bunch of dough. I’ll keep looking, or just keep suffering. Suffering is what I do best, you know.