Packing

Have the packing pretty much done. Missing some small, non-essential stuff, but the important stuff is all taken care of. I'm sure some experienced bikepackers could whittle this down a bit more. I'm still hoping that I can figure out a way to mount the stuff sack so that I can completely remove the racks from the Fargo and shave a few pounds off the bike.

Here's a quick breakdown of stuff I'm taking and aggregate weights for anyone that's watching from home. I've left off the obvious tubes, pump, lights, and multitool.

Waterproof stuff sack (4 lb 14.75 oz)

• Hennessy Expedition Asym Hammock
• Hennessy Rainfly
• Lafuma 40F down sleeping bag
• Tyvek ground cloth

Jannd Frame Bag (1 lb 10.25 oz)

• Garmin 605
• External AA battery pack
• Camera
• Knife
• Bug spray
• Advil
• Cell Phone

Ergon BC3 Backpack (13 lbs)

Personal Items (22.63 oz)

• First Aid Kit
• Sunscreen (SPF 75)
• Deodorant
• ToothPaste
• Toothbrush
• Flask w The Macallan 18
• Towel
• Soap

Cookset (11.9 oz)

• Cup
• Stove
• Pot
• Fuel
• Spork
• Matches
• Foil Lid

Clothing (4 lbs)

• Rain Pants
• Leg Warmers
• Arm Warmers
• Shorts
• Bibs
• Jersey
• Socks
• Socks
• Windbreaker
• Oakleys
• Spare Lenses
• Eye Glasses

Misc (12.75 oz)

• Zip Ties
• Stakes
• Dykes
• TP
• Patch Kit
• Tire Lever
• Compass
• Chain Lube
• Backpack rain cover

Water (4 lbs)

Ergon BC3 backpack (3 lbs)

TransWisconsin

I'm in the final stages of prep for The TransWisconsin. After what I can only describe as a complete blast to my physical systems and psyche in Kansas two weeks ago, I was really close to withdrawing from this event. After taking some time to reset myself, I decided that not going would be the worst thing I could do. So here I am, feeling less prepared than I want to, but ready to take on the challenge of 620 miles of Wisconsin's finest gravel roads and single track. My Salsa Fargo will be my home for the journey. I have a complete multipurpose sleeping system compressed into a sub 5 lb waterproof bundle and everything else that I need will either be in my Ergon BC3 backpack or my Jannd frame bag. Food will be gathered along the way and cooked at night, or eaten in whatever restaurant/gas station/farm we can find food at. I'm still working through some last minute issues, but I'm hoping to pull both the front and rear Nice Racks off to drop a few pounds of of the bike. Fenders are staying on. I'd kill for one of the soon to be released Salsa Minimalist racks right now, but they're not in the cards until fall. I do know that I'm looking forward to a few days on the bike to clear my head out. Plan is to pedal, eat, sleep, and fill up the memory card on the camera.

Highlights (for children)

I'm behind on a lot of things right now, including race reports. They're coming. Brief summary:

• TransIowa V6 - Made 1st checkpoint @ mile 44 by 2 minutes. Out at mile 59
• Almanzo 100 - Finished in 6:51. Good enough for 57 out of 267.
• Chequemegon 100 - Got lost at mile 45. Saw black bear cubs. Enjoyed every minute.
• Dirty Kanza 200 - 4:15 to 1st checkpoint @ mile 58. Out at mile 85 with chills and goosebumps in 95 deg heat.

TI v6 Packing list

Tossing this here in case anyone is interested and so I don't forget anything

Multi-tool

Avid Torx tool

side cutters

electrical tape

zip ties

quick link

hunk of chain

bottle of chain lube

rag

rubber gloves

spare shoe cleat

spare brake pads

extra bottle cage bolts

bottle of advil

6 tubes

6 c02 carts and inflater

patch kit

100 oz water bladder

4 water bottles

4 light batteries

two headlights

one tail light

cell phone

frame pump

toilet paper

flask of The Macallan 18 year

camel mojo

jade buddha mojo

Garmin 605 and external battery pack

cell phone

spare socks

spare gloves

spare hat

spare lenses for Oakleys

6 Garmin Francois bars

2 lbs of bacon

15 GU packets

8 tubes of Clif shot blocks

2 bottles of Boost

sense of humor

willingness to suffer

Tick tock...

Last minute prep for TI is just about complete. Thomson post is installed, computer is installed and set properly. Rear rack removed. Bolts checked and tightened. Driveline cleaned and lubed

Later today will be the finish of the charging, list checking and packing phase. Need to install some fenders too.

Saturday will be the ride phase.

Sunday will be the finish phase.

Getting closer

Bike is getting closer to being ready. I should have my Thomson setback post in the next day or so and the construction will be complete. Still up in the air on the rack. If I can snag an Ergon BC2 or BC3 yet this week, the rack will stay home. I've double wrapped the drops in order to try and keep hand fatigue at bay. I also moved the hoods down a bit further on the drops so the brakes are easier to reach. Here's hoping the body is ready for what is gonna be thrown at it in a few days.

Catch up post

Lots of stuff going on the last month, but not a lot of typing. Gonna just slap some stuff down so the 2 people that are reading this can see what I've been up to.

Ramped up the mileage over the last two weeks and have been feeling pretty good, if a bit tired. I didn't worry about whether it was gravel or pavement. Seat time of any sort is paramount right now to get the legs in shape.

Capped things off with camping trip out towards Panora with Squirrel, Jason Bouten, Sammy, and Skidmore on Friday. 85 miles of riding with a 50 lb trailer in tow made for a good workout, even at a medium pace. Ate some brats over a campfire and drank a few beers and just generally had a good time and enjoyed the early spring weather. The Hennessey Hammock worked out well for the trip. I'm actually going to need to find trees a bit further apart than I thought at first to hang it up. I also need to work on getting the line a bit more level so I don't sink down to one end of the hammock.

Parts for my Dos Niner have shown up at the shop, other than the rims for my wheels. Hope to get it all built up sometime soon (maybe during my TI rest week).

Fargo should be showing up at the shop this week as well. A little work to get that in shape but it will be worth it. The Fargo will be my steed for the TransWisconsin for sure. There's a slight chance I'll be using it for the Cheq 100 as well, but that would be fairly slim at this point.

In other news, my low back is out, so I'm going to be off the bike for a few days. Just about the worst time for it to happen as I really need to be getting consistent seat time in for the next 2 weeks. Better to rest now than break down in the middle of no where I guess.