I’m officially one week out from my “A” race for this year, and have just been thinking about my behavior over the last week or so and also been chuckling at the strange looks the fellas at my LBS have been giving me.
The butcher’s bill so far:
— I have changed my stem 3 times. From 120 to 100, 100 to 110 and 110 back to 100
— I have had the tilt of my hoods adjusted twice
— I haven’t ridden on the same front/back psi combination in over a week
— I swapped a 44t chainring out for a 42t after the route was released because I’m convinced I’ll want that extra climbing gear
— Adjusted the position of the cleat on my left shoe. Twice. My right shoe has stayed the same.
— Tested 3 different sets of sunglass lenses for optimal contrast. Haven’t decided yet.
— I’m headed out today in the kit I plan to race in next week, except it will likely be 15-20F degrees warmer today than on race day … so I’m likely to overheat and fan the flames of insecurity.
— I’ve swapped out bottle cages, and …
— I still haven’t decided on bottles vs hydration pack … or both?
— My dog won’t be in the same room as me.
— My wife and daughter whisper furtively behind my back.
I learned the hard way several decades ago that a week or two out from a big event is not the time to be making changes to my equipment. Clean the bike, lube the chain, air up the tires. Inspect the bike for mechanical issues. Unless something is broken or obviously amiss, then nothing gets touched.
It takes some discipline to be confident in your kit and to not fiddle around or perseverate on minor details right before a big event. But it’s worth it.
Probably not what you wanted to hear. Regardless, hope you crush your event.
-Darth
p.s. If you don’t have a check list for day before and day of, with all the things you need for race day, then make one and use it. Nothing worse than forgetting something because we rely on memory instead of a reliable process.
Sounds like you’re doing everything right @batwood14 , but I’m a little concerned you haven’t completely revamped your training. Make sure in this last week before race day you alter as much as possible and you should be good to go!
I’m getting stressed just hearing about these changes so close to your race. The only things I’d change in the final run into a race is a fresh chain, new rubber, and fresh sealant. And all of those would require a significant shake out ride before I’d be comfortable for race day.
I’ll get all maintenance and setup tweaks done at least a couple weeks out, preferably longer.
?