Do I have a problem? I might have a problem.

In three days, I will be in Oaxaca, Mexico. Hopefully my bike will make it too. It is the sole source of anxiety for me right now. I’m relying on airtag tracking, a prayer, and trust in an airline.

I’ve never ever travelled alone before (well, not internationally).
I’ve never ever travelled with a bike before.
I’ve never ever travelled for the sole purpose of riding a bike in new environments.

So exciting! Also, mildly anxiety inducing.

I have so many friends who roll their eyes at me.
“You’re a grown woman. You will be fine.”
“You’re a DOCTOR. You will figure it out. I believe in you.”
And yet, I will be my small, sweaty self, hopefully lugging around a giant bike bag (because it will make it there, right? Manifest destiny!), in an airport where I will fumble around in a vague and terrible mix of Spanish and French (I have always mixed up words, I find them such similar languages), ensuring I have my resting b*tch face on so as to deter would be accosters. I’ve switched over currency, bought health insurance that covers mountain biking, and packed tools and extra brake pads and tubes and gloves. I’ve no idea what the riding will be like, so I’ve brought the convertible full face, and an armoured shirt with spine and chest protection.

In the meantime, I’ve just been bike tinkering. As I hadn’t booked any assessments for the next few weeks, I was struck with the strange feeling of having no work to catch up on for the weekend. A very bearable lightness of being. This allowed for meal preparation, children coming for playdates, loads of laundry and a clean and tidy kitchen. It also allowed for bike tinkering. Things I’ve been meaning to do but never got ’round to. Mostly aesthetics. Like putting on stickers. It’s pouring rain right now anyway, so I’m not terribly motivated to go play outside. Is this what everyone’s weekends are like? All this free time??

This Fox sticker used to be grey and orange.

This PIKE sticker used to be grey. Now it is a gold foil, but one that doesn’t match. And it irks to no end. But is not irksome enough to invest in new stickers.
In other news, my dog is now 13 years old. He is so wonderfully handsome.

I took my enduro bike apart and cut up a foam noodle to protect the frame before securing it into a bike bag, carefully wrapping and securing all the bits and bobs.

I also took apart the new hardtail, so I can put a CushCore insert into the rear tire.

She’s been getting a lot of pedal time, because holy hell is she a ton of fun. I still want to swap out the brakes to something more reliable and confidence inspiring (and the brakes I have in mind are silver), and I’ve since put on a blue bottle cage and pump/tool mount. There will be blue rotor bolts, and maybe a blue headset spacer and seatpost collar coming, though I haven’t yet decided. If the bottom bracket wasn’t a pressfit, I’d consider a blue one of those, you know, for subtlety. But I’ve been taking her down all the usual trails, seeing how she handles. I can’t go as fast on the chunky stuff, but she can still handle jumps with aplomb, and steeps with confidence. She is so, so nimble, and I love her. My legs burn at the end of each lap though, likely as they’re doing more absorbing than they ever have before. Small bump sensitivity…

I had a moment yesterday where it felt so crazy to me that I built this ridiculously fancy enduro bike with so much front and rear suspension, and instead, I’m having oodles of fun on a barebones basic. Back to first principles.

Happy sigh. I love bicycles. I really, really do. 🙂

Here’s hoping Mexico will yield a group of like-minded folks and some solid, fun, riding!