Back from a short 55km ride (2h)
I made a few adjustments since the last time:
-> I lowered the handlebar (1cm) and feel much better now, my back pain disappeared which is weird considering my position is more aggressive but whatever if it works!
-> I had enough of the black aspect of chain lube when it gets dirty.. it's just a mess! So I cleaned my drivetrain completely and went with wax (Squirt) -> it's now less noisy and just feels more efficient. No more black greasy stuff on my white socks
-> I installed and set new brakes up: I went with Swissstop BXP and the improvement is massive VS the stock ones. The stopping power is satisfying,. I realized stock adjustment of the brakes wasn't perfect so the better performance must be due to the fine adjustmenst also, not just the new brake pads.
What's to come:
-> I received my replacement tires + tubes which will make me gain 400g VS my current setup: I chose to go for Conti GP5000 and Vredestein Superlite latex tubes, can't wait to try them out! I kept them in the same size (25mm) to isolate the difference related to the brand/model VS my stock tires. I could have gone for 28mm (I know it's a trend to run wider tires) but I'll still be able to do the change in the future
-> shoes + cleats: I won't do this change before the challenge. For now I feel a real benefit in the ability to move my feet slightly depending on my position on the bike. I like to use the full benefit of my bodyweight on a climb for example and I naturally move my feet more to the front in this case. In the same way I feel I need this mobility to ease my joints and knees just by moving slightly even if it's not for a long time. I doubt this is possible when locked in cleats but tell me if I'm wrong
I'd like to focus on nutrition for the 2 weeks left. I was surprised with how much of a difference drinking often but slightly makes. Fruit paste is working great also but I'll need to do some research to better understand what to plan for the event
