1,0... BPB's Eve

In short I'll drive to the velodrome to pass bike-check according to the ACP Rules. 
If everything goes as pre-arranged I'll meet there my two riding buddies. PB will stay at home for the night.
I'm feeling really edgy right now.  I've got a vague sensation of forgetting something... hope it's nothing essential.

2,1...

This afternoon I've been busy getting things ready for the ride. Spiffed up the bike in general ang installed a second tail-light (since you never know when it is going to stop working). I had to adjust the rear rack in order to make room for the new light. A mere five minute work.

At dusk I took a fast spin for an hour. Everything seems to be working fine.
It's a bit strange but the day has come, I've turned my intended sabathical year into a full series of brevet. Destiny? A coincidence? Who knows...

3, 2...

Spinned effortlessly to Tibidabo. Temperatures are rising. Plummeted down to St Cugat leaning the bike to its limits in most of the curves. Not a single click today.

Passed a couple of mountainbikers in a dirt lane leading to Vallvidrera. One of them made a comment on my tyres. "They look too soft, you have had a flat".  "No- I replied- they've been pumped to the right pressure. It's just supple casing" We arrived ato a junction and our ways diverged so I took that opportunity to check the tyres, well, you know, just to make sure...

7, 6, 5, 4...

My cycling training has been restricted to running errands for the last days.
Tomorrow I'll take a final spin most likely to Tibidabo.
No backward glances...

Count down: 10, 9, 8...

A new clinking sound today. I was getting exasperated till I realized that the sound misteriously disappeared while riding no-hands. So laid down the bike and poured a few drops of oil between the stem and the handlebar. It cured it!

After solving the "acoustic" problems opted for a relaxed spin to Horta's viewpoint from where I had a nearly crow's nest view of the velodrome. Will I get there in time next Sunday?

BPB "avant premiere"

No need for the test-ride; everything worked silk-smooth and, what's more, run quietly. (All righ! I suffered a minor problem with the front fender slightly rubbing the tire. Quite an easy thing to fix!)
I sat on the saddle shortly after seven o'clock and headed for the pre-arranged meeting point. It was a bit cold (not even 10ºC) but the cloudless sky heralded a sunny day and I'd alrealdy decided on short-sleeves for the jour (assuming that temperatures would rise up) . Well, just in case, I had cunningly packed a good pair of arm warmers in the handlebar bag. My riding buddies showed up at the pre-arranged place at the pre-arranged time and the three of us set off for our particular BPB avant-premiere. I lead them through the industrial areas of Ripollet and Montcada to the starting point at the road to La Roca. So early in the morning traffic was thin and we spinned at a reasonable brevetish speed (not that fast as in  my previous "time-trial" ride) till we reached the road to Montseny (first "rest-room" stop). Then we faced  the first and most serious climb of the day: the Collformic. It's a 25 km scenic ascent on good pavement most of it through forested areas that reminds me of the Alps. We rode the first "easy" leg till the hamlet of Montseny where we had a brief stop to eat a sandwich and refill the bottles. Now we tackled the last 10 gruelling km at a steady 6 plus gradient. P.B.(slightly undertrained) quickly falled back and, to my surprise, I found a comfortable spin that took me easily enough to the summit. There I waited for my two riding buddies (A.R. a much better climber had kindly seen P.B. all the way through) and took some pics of their final approach.
So we regroupped at the top and had a passing cyclist take our group picture by the road sign. (please mind that the bike I'm holding is his, not mine).
Anticipating a chilly descent I put on my arm-warmers and the three of us plummeted down past El Brull to Seva. Nice place worth a visit but we were unfortunately  in "zoom past" mode.  After a second brief stop we headed for Taradell and the second climb of the day: the Coll de la Pollosa, a much gentler climb amidst farm land (true "fields of green" not far from a main road). This time A.R. displayed his climbing abbilities and waited for the "lame ducks" at the summit patiently chewing a power bar. The strech to Moià and Calders was uneventful. We reached Calders and started a fast descent to Monistrol where we dealt with the last major climb: the Coll de Lligabosses. No big deal but for the slightly acking legs. After some km of a false flat we began our descent to St Llorenç. It was nearly half past three in the afternoon but we still found an open restaurant (it's a usual stop for cyclist). They were nearly closing but kindly accepted to make us some sandwiches with recently baked bread. They tasted great! From then the rest of the ride to Cerdanyola was easy enough (but for traffic: hoards of weekenders driving home). I lead my buddies to the start of the road to Barcelona and left them there with precise indications of how to get to the velodrome (where they had parked their cars). I know I should had seen them to the top of the Coll del Forat del Vent but... the delicate family negotitions that precede most brevets had set a non negotiable finish time. I "repported" home feeling reasonably fresh. May be that the PBP is not totally out of my reach. We'll see... shortly.

The plan

Mail traffic with my riding buddies is increasing. Everybody's got a riding-plan for the BPB but, unsurprisingly, everyone's got a different plan...
This Sunday we'll submit our plans to "the test of the road" (Vélocio) and see what comes out.
I hope that no bit of my recently overhauled drivetrain falls loose (there's been no time for a test ride)