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| Cue sheet test and calibration check- Done! |
- Cue Sheet Holder: I found my bigger clip and in conjunction with the smaller clip, I think I have a rock solid set up for cues now. Wednesday was pretty breezy, so that made for great testing conditions. I used some old Gravel Worlds cues that I have collected over the years as dummy cues to make sure that they would be readable and not flapping in the breeze as I rode. That checked out all good, so one more item off the list!
- Calibration Check: I needed to know if I would want to calibrate the computer again, or if it was good on mileage measuring. I usually check this against signs that the State put up along US Highway 218/27 by using a side road which parallels the highway. I can look over and see where the State has marked of the tenths of a mile and see if my computer is racking up similarly to what the State has. I checked out within .01 of a mile, so that'll do. Wandering on the road, stopping at convenience stores, or hiking over to a corn field to relieve oneself could easily amount to being off more than that. I have no doubt I'll be good on mileage tracking. I may chuck my GPS head in the bag as a back-up, but I have zero room to mount that head on the bike unless I do that where I cannot read it from the saddle. That seems pointless. I also need to see if I can turn off the scrolling function on this particular Sigma computer. That constantly changing screen is annoying!
- Heat Acclimation: Of course, I've been doing short rides in the intense heat whenever I can to get used to it. Tuesday was likely the worst I'll see as it was 81° at 90% humidity for a "real-feel' heat index of 99°F, I think it was. Anyway- sweat-city! My grips were slimy and bare-handing it was sketchy. Which led to....
- The Gloves: I figured that the easiest thing to do was to just wear gloves, and I tried that Wednesday, but I don't really want to wear any gloves at all. While the gloves solved the immediate problems with sweat and grip, I found them to be hot and uncomfortable. I just really want to avoid gloves if at all possible. Next up I will try my sleeves which I have used to good effect before. I am reticent to try anything on my wrists as I am really sensitive to any pressure on my skin. It causes numbness really quickly. In fact, I have to loosen my watch band so it bounces around on my wrist or I cannot wear it while riding. More tweaking needs to be done here.
- No Base Layer: I have been thinking about eschewing wearing a base layer at Gravel Worlds. I know- they say base layers keep you cooler. I say it is still like wearing two shirts. When it is hot and humid, do I really need to be wearing two shirts? It doesn't add up to my mind. So, Wednesday I tried just a jersey while on Tuesday I wore a base layer under a loose fitting 'jersey shirt' thing. I have. I could see wearing the slightly flappy jersey-shirt thing with a base layer and the jersey only deal was great. More testing needed...
Gotta line up the nutrition stuff next. Then, if Gravel Worlds gets the cues published soon enough, I may transfer them to Trans Iowa style cues. I can read those more easily and I can get more lines on a sheet than they do for Gravel Worlds. I figure that instead of the usual 8-9 sheets Gravel Worlds ends up putting out I might get that down to 7, maybe 8.
Anyway.... More soon on all this as I wrap things up for next week's trip. Stay tuned......
