One Week

The week before a 24 hour race is always crazy. Lots of stuff to get done - all the packing, cooking, bike prep and maintenance work. No matter how many of these things we've done, there is no easy way to prepare. We can have all the lists and checks in the world, but it all still had to get done. And so much of it is last minute. I can't pack my clothes until after that last wash of the week (except for the winter stuff - hoping not to need it in the middle of June!) All the dry food can be packed away, each item marked off the list so it's not forgotten. But the cooking has to wait. So I'm going to be making a mess in the kitchen the day before we leave, guaranteed. Potatoes, rice, chicken, sausage, rice cakes, chocolate cake, rice porridge.... Lots of cooking so we can eat real food. Bikes can be looked over - Nick takes care of all that, but they are always in use until loaded onto the van. And with having more then one bike, that doubles Nick's work just before the race. So as much as we like to be organized and prepared, there's still a lot to do.

This race will be a little different then the last 24 hour event - we have the van set up for sleeping now, and got to test the pit out while in Gunnison for the Growler. The Wally-World tent sucks big time (nearly got blown over by a gentle gust of wind), but it works for the price. Makes a great living room/kitchen for 24 hour racing. We've got the cot from Old Pueblo, a nice table and stove and other items that almost rival the Turtle in comfort and convenience. Almost. I miss some things about the Turtle, but it's long gone - dead in Tucson.  We have the Brown Bullet now, all decked out as a comfy, cozy bedroom. Nick got a sweet bed frame built up and we put a thin mattress inside. Bonus with the bed frame is all the camping gear now fits neatly underneath the bed.  We have to bundle up to start cooking in the morning, but it's better then a U-haul van! So this race is already off to a better start then Old Pueblo.