Broken Chain

So where am I?

With 4 months to go, I have had a very strange spring.

Horrible weather and a bunch of travelling in April and May kept me off the road a lot.

A medical issue in early June set me back a bit but I got in a great ride in Israel (up Ramat Raziel and Nes Harim with Zev) in mid-June.  Then, a terrible stomach bug hit; probably food poisoning on my flight back from Israel.  Three full days and 7 pounds later, I weighed 115 pounds and had no energy.  A complete lost week and a a very weak following week.  I could barely do 30 miles on the North Shore.  Finally, the Sunday before last, I was able to do 50 strong miles and on Friday morning I really pounded out a 27 mile round trip to Point Lookout; one of my fastest times.

Yesterday, I set out for the North Shore again with my sights on a 60 mile ride.  My plan was to do a modified version of the Mansion Ride, adding three climbs and subtracting a bunch of flatter terrain.  I was strong for 30 miles and was headed to Beacon Hill when - snap - my chain broke.  Very long story short, I miraculously found someone to give me  a lift back to my car (I was about as far away from where I parked as I was all day).  I brought the bike in to discover that not only was my chain messed up but my cassette needed to be replaced as well.

This is frustrating since I replaced them both last year in the beginning of August; it just doesn't seem normal to go through a cassette so quickly; it's not like I rode 5,000 miles this year.  And, replacing a Dura Ace cassette ain't cheap.  Uggh.

So, my bike is in the repair shop for a few days.  Back on the spin bike until then.  And, on Sunday, 70 miles on the Gold Coast ride.