will gummy bears make the FROG go fast?

Busy week for me this week, preparations are being made to ready the ECO for a weekend of camping and racing. This weekend GRT Racing is heading back to WNC for the 12 Hours of Tsali. We've got the same line up this year as last, Andy, Abby, Anthony & myself, the only oddball who's name doesn't start with an "A". I thought about asking my teammates to call me Arthur just for the weekend so maybe I might feel like I fit in a little better. Still no co-ed category and once again we'll be up against some fast as hell teams that should probably be racing in the expert class. If it weren't for the great watered down spaghetti I might lodge a complaint, wait I totally missed the spaghetti flavored water last year. You think the Gone Riding folks have caught wind to my blog heckling of their cooking? I'll lay low this year and see how it all unfolds.

There was a bit of smack talk earlier this week from one of the other local teams that will be traveling down with us. A bit of friendly, spirited smack talk, calling me out because there was a rumor I was putting gears on the FROG for the race. I won't deny, the rumors are true, the FROG will be sporting a 1x9 drivetrain. Have no fear, as soon as we get back from the race the gears will come off. I've been back and forth on what to do about FROG, SS or gears? I thought on it and thought on it, tried to ask my teammates on what their opinion was but heard nothing but crickets chirping. I was discussing it with Melinda one night last week and she simply responded, why wouldn't you put gears on it. Yeah why not, so I did. I'm not so worried about the climbs, it's more the fast rolling sections that I'm afraid I would be spinning out and losing time so I went for it. Gears it is.

With a gash in the rear tire on the JET and currently only one tire option I will be attempting to mount up another Continental tubeless this week. A brand new X-King that we got as a warranty replacement that been sitting in the bike room for a couple of weeks will be replacing the Saguro. Melinda's had good luck with hers so far so hopefully I will to or I'll be forced to go down and dig through my pile of worn out tires for a suitable back-up.

A few times I have been asked if I own any t-shirts other than cycling t-shirts. I've been asked this on more than one occasion and by more than one person. With that I decided to go a whole week without wearing a single bike related t-shirt.

Monday's t-shirt, plain navy blue.



Tueday's t-shirt, plain gray. Some said it was the same shirt as Monday, they must have been color blind. Wednesday, will probably be black or brown, I've yet to decide. So many non-cycling shirts to wear the decision will probably keep me up at night tossing and turning over which one to pick, oh the horror.

The real decision keeping me awake is what race fuel do I take this weekend? My current list of options is as follows: gummy bears, twizzlers or skittles. I was leaning towards gummy bears until I remembered Anthony's addiction to little funny colored bears that squish. I'm afraid he will raid my stash while I'm out on a lap and in an attempt to cover cover his own tracks will eat them all and make himself sick and useless to the team.