Prologue - unfinished business
Ignore the posted date - it's June 12, 2021. I am "scratch +1 day" from the 2021 TransAmerican Bike Race and am standing in line at the Delta gate in Boise, ID. My attempt at the 2021 TABR had come to an early and totally unsatisfying end after just 6 days. A combination of bad planning, bad equipment choices, completely bizarre mechanical issues (the crank tried to fall out of my bike for God's sake!), and ultimately an injury forced me out of the race at Baker City, OR. I'm standing in line, waiting to board, and stewing / wallowing in a combination of self-pity and borderline loathing. I had trained for over a year to do this ride and while I knew that I wouldn't be competitive (there are pro's doing this after all) I felt strongly about my chances for a decent finish. But by day 5 it seemed to me that I had not been even remotely prepared for the challenges of the 1st couple of days. The weather on the 1st day was some of the worst that I had ever ri