I went to pay my respect at the Saipan's war memorial yesterday. You might not be aware but Saipan was the theatre of some of the most gruesome and savage battles in the pacific during WWII where the US lost close to 4000 men and Japan up to 24000. Saipan would become the largest air base in the pacific and would be the launching pad for the B29 bombers who would ultimately see the atomic bomb drop on Japan and would end the war. After, I then proceeded to build my bike, which always prove to be an interesting job. The boys at experience always pack it with good care so all I had was to put the pieces together, or so I though?! First I was unable to inflate my wheels, I run tubless tires so I need compressed air, no big deal there is a bike shop in town, so I knew I would be able to take it there in the morning. It always good to have a mechanic look at the bike anyway just in case something happened in the transport. I went to bed early still feeling jet lag.
I woke up Monday morning( we are a day ahead here) and took my bike to the shop. The mechanic was not in so I left my bike in pieces and decided to go look for Nemo. Although I'm racing in 5 days or so, I stil have to workout, just not as long or as hard. I went for an open water swim in the ocean where I saw schools of fish, coral and blue water. After my 52 min swim and my mouth full of salt I decided to go see if my bike was ready. Alas to my dismay my bike was not ready and had some issues. I need a new rotor on my ar wheel, was missing a screw on my rear derailleur, bottom bracket had issues. Finally they don't sell c02 canister, and US customs or TSA decided to take mine, so I have to find something for the race in case I flat. No bike ride today, it will have to be tomorrow where I hope to go scout the race course. The people in Saipan are very nice and the weather also helps. I think I might go to the beach for a bit. Happy trails!
Carpe Diem
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