Adventure: Near and Fargo Time

Okay, so there’s this bike race. Yep. It’s just a race. That’s all. What’s the big deal? Well, it’s in Kansas. So there’s a drive to get there. And it’s 200 miles in one day. So there’s that. And it’s on gravel. And it’s windy. Like biblical wind. And there are storms, deep mud and river crossings. And I know a guy who knows a guy who rode it and almost won it and he said “This was the hardest day on a bicycle that I’ve ever experienced.” And he’s a pro. But there is one huge difference between this guy and me. Well, there are many differences but one that I will draw your attention to here. He was racing. I will be surviving.

My bike of choice will be the Salsa Fargo Titanium, a bike I purchased to ride across the US, on dirt, RIGHT before I got Lyme Disease. Needless to say, my cross-country trip did not happen. Yet. Now, I will tweak the bike for the race. I’ll lose the frame-pack, move my bottle mounts to the main triangle, lose the rack and add a few smaller bags here and there. I’ll also change up the tires and will probably go tubeless. This bike is slow, compared to my road bike, but it’s also comfortable. When you get off this bike you don’t feel like you’ve been on a ride, no matter the length.

So I called someone to go with me, someone with multiple Ironmans under his belt. “No way I’m doing that,” he replied. Just the kind of confidence build I needed. Thanks pal.

So I’ve begun a trailing regime, one rife with inconsistency, not enough detail and far too little real-world data or experience. I had two beers last night, and less than a week ago I ate a hamburger with a chile relleno on top. At some point, something will have to give. Otherwise, I’ll be picking out cemetery plots in Kansas. Stay tuned.