I rebuilt my pedals today...The ones that came apart on the 300K Brevet. I'm not a very good mechanic, so I know I'll have to check them frequently. The right pedal had come apart, but the manufacturer recommended that the screws on both be replaced and sealed with Red Loctite. I ended up getting the Loctite everywhere, which is probably a bad thing, and I tried to tighten the screws to 2.6 Nm, but realized that my torque wrench goes in increments of 5 Nm...The screw heads themselves aren't very deep, so I stripped out the left one as I was removing it. I probably should have left it alone, but if it had come apart during a ride, it would've been my fault.
I signed up yesterday for the National 24 Hour Challenge in Michigan. I'll probably end up doing it unsupported. I'm going to post a message on the Transplant message board asking if there are any athletes up there who might help me. What kind of training have I been doing for these events? Not much during the week. After the 200K brevet, I didn't get to ride all week. This past Sunday, I got a 61 mile ride in with the Reston Bike Club from Reston out to Waterford, through rolling terrain. I didn't get a chance to ride at all this week, but I should be able to get out on the bike saturday and sunday.
Why haven't I gotten a chance to ride during the week? I've been spending my mornings applying for marketing jobs. I'm trying to find an assistant brand manager position or even just a marketing assistant position, something that will allow me to advance my marketing knowledge past what I learned at Maryland. Then in the afternoon, I have been working on Optimum Fitness business, contacting bike shops and distributors, filling out paperwork, learning Quickbooks, mailing DVDs to customers, etc. In a start-up business, there is always more work to be done.
I have another 300K planned for May 22. Stay tuned for more training news.
