My ankle still hurts. I decided to bike the bullet and go riding on Friday anyway. Then my ankle hurt more, and I was frustrated. See, I got used to the speed and ease of road riding while in Maine, and I forgot that I'm a fairly slow mountain biker. This compounded with my inability to do 3 turns in the Don at speed. It doesn't matter how much I tell myself I can do it, how many run ups, or how much I end up yelling at myself afterward, I end up coming up to them at speed and slamming on the brakes, nearly doing an endo instead of just going round them. I know I just have to do each one once and they'll never be a problem again, but when I'm in my own head and there's no one else around to push me, I just end up getting up and walking. Then, no matter what, the rest of my ride is shitty. I just want to get home and go from post-ride beer to post-ride lash. Solutions? I'm open to suggestions, but I think I may have to spend how ever long it takes at each spot and just hit them over and over 'till I do it. Or I have to ride with someone else who will push me to try those things that scare me. Due to the crap outcome of the ride, there are no pictures to share.
To placate my frustration, and further deteriorate my ankle, I'm planning on going on the 120km Canada Day ride on Thursday. I think that it would be good to soothe my fevered ego a little bit by going on an exceedingly long road ride. I'm also buying some parts for my road bike in the next couple days, specifically a new saddle, dual-pivot brakes, and new wheels. The new road-bike plan is to upgrade to 8- or 9-speed STI and continue riding. Then, buy a new(er) frame next season and switch over whatever parts I can. Fun stuff.
In other news, I went to see Ted Leo and the Pharmacists on Saturday. One of my favorite bands with one of my favorite people. Ted Leo has a penchant for rambling anecdotes which provide a connection with the band beyond the music. When asked why he was wearing a Ghana t-shirt the day that the Black Stars beat the U.S. team, he said "I have profound respect for the U.S. Men's national soccer team, but, you know, Ghana is my team from way back." Priceless. I highly recommend experiencing one of his shows if you have an opportunity. Due to the awesome nature of the show, here is a picture I took with a cellphone camera (sorry).
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