DMG
Modena Open SpaceMan Plans, God Laughs
I won't be racing at Caspers. My wife and I are expecting our first child in January, and the baby shower is scheduled for November 12, the same day as the Caspers race. It's a no-brainer which one I'd rather be at, but I'm bummed that I don't get to do both. It seems that #dadlife is starting a bit before I thought it would.
Aside from that, I've been stacking up about 3 hrs/wk of riding, and I can definitely feel the benefits.
Fullerton Loop
The weather has settled into a perfect California autumn, with after-work temps around 70°, and I'm loving it. There's something about autumn that I really do just love. Turning trees, cool days, and stellar riding weather.
I've done the Fullerton
Loop three four rides in a row now. The third the
fastest at 52:16, and I'm now able to ride it without checking the
map on my GPS. It's a fantastic loop.
And I think it hits an important weakness of mine: I'm not great at consistent push-the-pace pedaling. My usual rides consist of easy pedaling or all-out climbing efforts. In the middle, I suffer.
So a loop that offers lots of mostly-level trail and 5% grades is exactly what I need.
CarboRocket 333
I ordered a bag of CarboRocket 333 Half-Evil a while back, and I'm loving it. Especially on the first couple of rides, I felt stronger than usual toward the end of the ride, and recovered more quickly and completely between punchy efforts.
What's interesting is that I'm starting to associate the smell of the grape CarboRocket with "go time." I get a whiff of grape, and I start getting stoked to ride.
Shimano Chain
I broke my KMC chain a while back and replaced it with a Shimano, and I have to say that the Shimano seems to perform a bit better. Smoother shifting, longer-lasting lube, etc.
I have a spare KMC chain ready to roll, so I'm kind of tempted to put the Shimano through the same trial on Deer that broke the KMC. If it survives, so much the better. If not, then I know the KMC is cheaper, easier to work on, and just as strong.