After the race is before the race. And the time until the start of the SRMR is ticking fast. So, it’s time to shift my focus to the Focus Raven MTB. I need to get used again to the position on the bike and to the bike itself.
Actually, I’ve ridden the Focus Raven far less than any of my other bikes (including my cargo bike). But I did have some longer rides during the year, and the bike is in perfect condition. Well—it’s much younger than me, so I expect it to hold up.
The training itself is progressing as planned. I feel reasonably fit for the event, and the next couple of weeks will be about fine tuning—plus keeping motivation and spirit high. Really long rides are no longer planned. The B^Hard Ultracycling race gives me a good base for the SRMR.
Next weekend there will be an event at the local school, and the “Projektgruppe Malabon e.V.” will be present—so will I. I’ll be informing people about the projects I support with my fundraisers, and I’ll also bring my bike along. It’s a good opportunity to do a first test of packing and riding in the final setup—maybe not the final final one. There is also a pending bike fitting in two weeks because I’m dealing with some issues in my shoulder. The problems show up when riding my other bikes as well, so it might be more a matter of age than the bike 😉
There’s still some logistics to finalize. The riders have received more updates regarding medication that is advised to take with them during the race. This is primarily because of bacteria infections that could cause severe stomach problems during the trip. That’s also the main reason why some people quit the race. As a result, I bought new bottles with caps to protect a bit more. They’re quite common for MTB riders, but for roadies like me they feel a bit odd.
From a gear perspective, I’m missing a cooker, and I may have to go for a new helmet. Most recently, I invested in a new tail light with radar included. You may wonder why I need this in the mountains: not because I want to know whether a yak or horse is chasing me, but because there will be some main roads we’ll be using, where quite a bit of traffic and trucks are expected. I don’t want to be surprised by lorries passing close by—so a radar tail light may be a useful additional safety feature.
I’ll share more details about the gear and what’s packed in the upcoming weeks.
Stay tuned,
Bert
