It’s 6:34 as I write this. If everything is on time my flight will leave at 6:35 tomorrow for Gran Fondo San Diego. My bags are pretty much packed except for a few items I need to pick up today at Knapp’s Cyclery. I need some knee warmers and maybe a new rain jacket. I may pick up some compression socks, too. I haven’t used them but have wanted to give them a try. They’re probably not a bad idea for a 6 hour cross-country flight…
The weather isn’t looking good for the weekend. The weather gods must be playing some sort of cruel joke. We finally have a 50+ degree weekend with sun here in PA and the forecast for Saturday & Sunday in San Diego looks like high 50s and rain. Oh well, I’ll be riding with good friends at what looks to be a great event.
My loaner bike, a Colnago CX-1, is all lined up. Hopefully I’ll get three rides in while I’m there. That should give me adequate time to do a review. Nytro is handling the Colnago fleet for the event so I know that I’m in good hands. Speaking of Nytro, I’m hoping to make a pilgrimage to the triathlon and cycling mecca while I’m out there. I can’t be so close to such a legendary shop without visiting! Besides, I’m doing a no checked luggage trip so I’ll need to pick up some nutrition for the ride. You can’t fit many gels in a 1 quart ziploc bag and still bring toothpaste & shaving cream!
Some other exciting stuff for the trip – I’ll be meeting up with our old neighbors who moved out to Orange County. My friend Mark is going to do his first triathlon this year. I’m hoping that I can drag him around the expo at the Gran Fondo to give him some bike education. I’m sure that we’ll also do some liquid carbo loading, too. I can use the time to get Mark up to speed on what he needs to do for his first race. Depending on the length of the, uh, seminar & carbo loading he may need to have his lovely wife, Evette, drive home! I wonder if we can find some IPA and a fire pit to sit around, right Mark?
I’ve got my ISM Breakaway seat packed and ready for the trip. I’m looking forward to getting a bunch of miles on the saddle so I can start working on a proper review. Maybe riding a new seat for 101 miles isn’t the best idea. We’ll see. If what we’ve all heard about the ISM seats is true I should come home with sore legs and a happy butt!
Keep an eye out for more posts during and after the Gran Fondo weekend. I’ll have lots of photos and video to share.