D2R2 2017: The Lead Up

Last ride tonight before Saturday and the D2R2, the apex of Team Shad's quiet season. Two days off before Saturday's Big Event. Good. 

Tonight, Dubstoevsky's sinewy frame was more fisher than wolverine; more shad than tuna; more Bourdain than Harrison. These are all nuanced references that you're not necessarily expected to "get." 

Dubstoevsky training for the D2R2

The point is that the fifteen miles tonight, even though I was pushing it a bit, still felt like a lot. That it felt like a lot is disturbing. 

The D2R2 is in three days. 160K starting at 7:00 AM Saturday from a dewy field in Deerfield. 

Being "tired" isn't an option. 

The thing is, though, even if I turn out to be just a wiry fisher among larger, stronger predators, among beasts that crush it on the long rolling interior roads, I'll still be strong on the relentless climbs. This is Dubstoevsky's signature ability. Ride to climb.

On flattish ground, larger riders with bigger engines definitely have the advantage (exhibit A: Wing Nut, aka The Assassin); but on the long grinding climbs, normally I churn up the steep gnarl with the Niceness. I am counting on being able to do that on Saturday. The hills must first and always be my friends.

And yet so much depends on so much. How is anyone feeling on a given day? What will the conditions be like? Summer in Massachusetts has been fantastic, the perfect mix of sunny & hot, then cool & rainy. No more drought, beautifully lush green countryside, a beaming landscape vibrancy. But the gravel roads, will they be dusty or packed? Washboards? Dust? What about the dew point? 

So what's the weather forecast for Saturday? 

86 degrees F and partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers. Humid. 

Allez! Thanks, Phil! 

Fingers crossed