It's Finally Back

My Trek. I originally had the frameset sent to the factory in Wisconsin for inspection and repainting (after I crashed it into the garage while pulling in and forgetting it was atop the car).

It came back sometime at the end of July, first part of August (I don't recall exactly) and it was not acceptable...the paint was bubbled on the top tube. So it went back again.

3 weeks later, it was returned again. Not only did they not fix the bubbled paint on the top tube, it now had other blemishes as well. So we sent it a third time.

Friday the shop called to tell me it was back. "Third times gotta be the charm" they said. Apparently that isn't necessarily the truth. Yes, they had fixed the bubbled paint, and the other blemishes as well, but a spot of clearcoat had rubbed off, (or they missed a spot during finishing) behind the seat-tube.

Yesterday the shop called to tell me that they had talked to Trek and rather than send it back for a 4th repaint, Trek was giving up and letting me keep it without charge.

So I'm finally done with my Trek saga, and K&C will both have bikes that fit, as I'm giving K the newly repainted OCLV frameset.

We'll spend the next couple of nights building it up together. That'll be a good father/son thing to do. Right?

I thought so too.

Where did fall go?

It seems as though we've gone from hot hot hot, dropped straight through pleasant fall temps and bottomed out at colder than crud. All in just a few days. I didn't think I'd need to get out my winter tights and arm warmers until December, but no, the past two mornings have been downright too cold to ride without them.

I miss fall. I wish it would come back. Soon.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

Rest Week

More like a week of sitting around doing nothing. It's raining today, and drizzled for two days before today. This is the time of the year when I get sick easily, so I'm staying out of the cold and wet. So far it's working.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day though, so I'm planning to get a ride in. It'll be nice to spin the legs a bit and expend some energy.

The Trek is due to be back today...from it's third trip to the factory for repainting. I'm hoping they get it right this time. Kenny wants to ride it, and so I'll have to get it built up for him.

It's Not Always About Going Fast

Contrary to Burl Ives assertion that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, in my book, that distinction belongs to fall. The temperatures begin dropping from the nineties into a more comfortable range in the sixties, seventies and low eighties, and the humidity falls from oppressive at best to merely noticable at worst.

Fall is my favorite time of the year to ride my bike. All of the season's objectives are behind me and it's time to just noodle around and enjoy the season without the pressures of upcoming events forcing me to train a certain way. It's "wind-down" season, and it's time to relax. Time to spend my Saturday rides with Cathy. There's very little I enjoy more than watching her ride to the top of Shades Crest via Smyer for the first time last Saturday. She enjoyed it so much, we're going to try it again this week!

Sure, I've got some goals already set up for next season; I want to finish Cherohala in less than 7 hours, and I'm planning to start swimming and running again this winter in an effort to claim the top spot at a triathlon next Memorial Day weekend. I'm also giving some thought to clipping in for a couple of low key races in early March just to test my fitness and have a little fun (I could use a little humility, and there's nothing like lining up at a race to give it to you).

But those are still months away, and I'm one of the best around when it comes to procrastinating. Sure, I could be busy out on my bike every day, sweating like a soaker hose, and wheezing like a leaky tire...

But then I wouldn't get to enjoy my favorite time of the year, would I?