well....

i said the next time i posted i would have good news. i'm not sure it's good news, but i'll take it at this point. it's amazing how you can be so prepared..mentally and physically to race..and then the $hit can just hit the fan the day before. that's pretty much how today went.

as the day went on, we realized just how much essential gear we had in the missing UPS box. that, and i still had a dysfunctional fork. thankfully brian and carolann were able to collect some parts and e-caps for us (seriously, you guys saved the day). however, after spending over two hours at the bike shop this morning (doing repairs and buying the essentials)...i finally realized that the replacement white bros fork was a freakin 100mm fork. i run an 80mm. this changes things a lot. mostly..my fit and my handling. we didn't bring the wobble-naught fit equipment, nor did we bring any spare stems or anything to facilitate changing a fit. i'm super bummed b/c my fit was dialed perfectly. not anymore. i am not racing with a wobble-naught fit tomorrow and i'm freaking out about it. actually, i'm trying to remain calm but it's not going so well. on the way home from the trail we stopped at home depot to buy a straightedge, anglefinder, and pocket level. we did the at-home-last minute-i'm f'ed and don't have another option bike fit on my bike. now i have a brand new 100mm fork, a new front tire, a new rear cog, and no f'ing idea how this thing is going to handle tomorrow. i just hope i don't end up with stabbing lower back pain or something like that. i could scream right now, but instead i'm just going to toss this one into the learning experience pile. i know what NOT to do when traveling by plane to race now.

btw, the forecast is for 95* and sun tomorrow. today was only 85* and i was cooking. there is no shade at all. none. oh man, this one will surely be a test.

thanks for all the luck and well wishes! i hope it all works tomorrow! :)