September has gotten off with a bang! A lot of great things are happening for the Ride for Mike. More attention has been brought to the ride than ever before and it is exciting to be able to know that one of my goals — keeping the memory of Mike alive — is definitely being fulfilled. I just keep praying that it will translate into more support for the scholarship. At the same time, I am very thankful for the support I’ve been shown by so many wonderful people.
An update on the scholarship: we have now reached $11,380.00 as of this morning when I type this. Only about $2,600.00 more to go! The opportunity to give will continue through the ride, but if we could break the $14,000.00 barrier before I leave… Well, that would just be a huge shot in the arm. Please consider helping at RideForMike.com.
Another UP is the fact that I have my new wheel from Boyd Johnson. I’ve been looking forward to getting it back so I can use it on the ride. Here is a photo of what my wheel looked like following May’s accident.
Carbon wheel / (concrete block + 25 mph) = above
Now we are back in business with a new wheel. This wheel is a new design. The braking surface is improved over my original c50. We did have a bear of a time getting the Specialized Pro tire over the new rim, but now it is on and tight as a drum. Can’t wait to get out and test it. I appreciate Boyd’s support. Give him a visit at BoydBikes.com.
These things look better round
So, what is there to be down about? I hesitate to even mention it because I don’t know how things are going to work out. Could be this is nothing, but it is the first curve ball to be thrown at me for the ride since my accident. It involves my transportation on the ride.
I have learned it is good (though not necessary) to have an extra bike. Many times I have found that my training has been disrupted because of an issue with my bike. It was good to have a number two to hop on when discovering a last second flat or when bike number one is in the shop. Of course, bike number two bit the dust back in May.
Having a second bike became more important to me as I planned the 2010 Ride for Mike. Since my only support on the ride would be the beautiful redhead and any delay on the road could cost me major time and distance, I wanted to minimize any chance for mechanical delays. My plan was to take two bikes. If one had a problem, I would do a quick bike change and get back on the road. It could be the difference between one minute and hours depending on the mechanical issue.
Better yet, I ordered the frame from Boyd. Thankfully, all the parts from the “Devil Bike” can be moved over to the new frame. This isn’t just any old frame. It is the Boyd Bikes B930 with a custom Low Cadence paint job.
Here is the problem. This is the last order of Boyd Bikes frames. Boyd is going to wheels only. One of the reasons why is because of the hassles he has had with his frame supplier. You can see where this is going… Boyd tells me that the frame goes to paint September 5th. It will be in paint for one week. It then will take one week to ship. If you count that up, in a best case scenario the bike will arrive at the last minute. Boyd is even concerned that it won’t arrive before I leave.
What should I do? There are some options… 1) Take my chances and plan on having the bike for the ride. 2) Take my chances using one bike and plan on only wheel problems on the road. I would then get the Low Cadence bike when I returned. 3) Go ahead and not use the custom frame and get another one to build up before the ride. Can you think of some other options? What do you think I should do?
Really, when I first learned of this delay, I was pretty bummed. As the day continues, I realize this isn’t a major setback. I mean, people make solo rides across the United States on one bike! My only concern is that I really don’t want to deal with bike issues on a day when I’m supposed to cover 120+ miles.
Besides, I admit it… having a custom Low Cadence bike for the trip would be pretty cool!
