Tour of Ohio prep.

Ok, let me just put on some new cables so I can shift well while Im getting dropped next week. Well that didnt fix it, maybe I need housing too. Nope that isnt it. New chain and cassette... nope.. Oh my shifter is broken. Apart comes the cross bike, on goes the shifter that has lasted years and crashes. Amazing being that the broken one is only a bit over a year and has no crashes.

Amy's jamis aurora touring bike came with sora 8speed STI's. They lasted 10,500 miles. We upgraded her to some sweet tiagra 9speed when the sora finally went.
My dura ace bling shifters only lasted 9000 or so miles. How does chew get 100,000 out of a pair?

In case anybody cares about RAAM, which most dont, Chew is posting his "chew's views" on cyclingnews. Last year I bet Danny that somebody would be stupid enough to do it in a fixed gear. Somebody has done the Furnace Creek 508 on a fixed gear (Talk about a niche catagory.. Women's fixed gear). Well this year is one step closer with some knucklehead doing it on a singlespeed (well actually two singlespeeds one for flats, one for hills)... Sounds like somebody needs to sack up.

Not sure which is gnarlier, doing RAAM on a singlespeed, or doing the Great Divide Race on a singlespeed as Kent Peterson did. I think the Great Divide might be. When Matt and I rode it last year, I remember going 4 mph in my 22x32 low gear and just being amazed that anybody could singlespeed (walk?) that freaking thing.

Im doing to say that Great Divide race, which started yesterday is one of the most grueling races ever and at the same time might have the least amount of prestige of any race ever.