Selling A Left One

I would sell my left nugget to get my Ride Chi back. I have not had good ride mentally or physically in a couple weeks or more. Last week I chucked two rides after just an hour in the saddle. Then Sunday was the 2 hour log vs. wheel cluster f*ck. There were no real improvements today.

The Campeon is back in the house with a new bottom bracket and no creak, so I was anxious to get out on the road with it and burn some steam off, along with a calorie or thousand. The ride started with about 200 yards on the rail trail before I take a right and head some climbs and to my road loop. I don't always go this way, but I knew the ride was about 40 miles from this point. Anyway I hit the pavement PDQ and as riser leading to the big climb started I shifted and nothing. The chain wouldn't move off the big ring. Curses! I powered easily enough up the small climb, made another right, started getting buzzed by motorists, went to shift again. NOTHING! Power, power, shift, clang! I "Schlecked" my chain!! FRIG!

While there were no Spaniards putting the hammer down and dropping me, there was a ton of cars wizzng by me as I cursed and muttered out of breath in the middle of the climb fumbling to get the chain on the ring. Done and off, I was anxious to get to the top of that god damned hill!

Next up some rolling downhills for a while. Good. Then I make another right onto a nice 2 mile gradual climb. CLANG! "Schlecked" again!! "F*ck it!" Turned around cruised down the hill, found a spot to hop back on the rail trail and pedaled back. Total ride time- about 40 minutes.

Now I know the rings and chain on the Campeon are ancient, worn, and need replaced badly so I have no one to blame but myself, but to be honest I was hating the ride. 10 minutes in I couldn't wait for it to be over. The sound the cars buzzing by was enraging me, the site of pavement made me want to just get off and walk. A bike in disrepair wasn't helping, nor was the thoughts of all the work I need to get done by the end of the week. But DAMN, the Bike Gods could throw me a damn bone already!! Have you ever had a ride and the body just felt "off." You're not sure why the ride sucked, it just did. Then a day or two later you're sick and you're like "ahhhhh, THAT'S why!" I keep praying that I'm sick, so I at least have an excuse!! I just feel like I have no power on the bike. Where the eph did it go??? I had it earlier in the year. I wasn't going to be winning any race, but I felt good on the bike.

But then this afternoon I was cleaning up my Mac's desktop and saw my PDF map of the mountains. I opened it and started seeing that this forest road went there, and that trail goes here, and that could be a cool ride option... and I could feel the mojo stirring. So even while my body is revolting, and thought of road miles make me want to take up power walking. Time on my mountain bike is still what I long for to get sorted. So this weekend I plan to seize my mojo back with some solo dirt time in the woods and mountains. EVEN if I had to part with that nugget to do so.

Later.