These last two days have been . . . consumed. I worked a twelve-hour shift, yesterday, so that was pretty much wasted time in relation to my personal agenda. I worked eight hours, today, and rushed to the bike shop for a quick repair of my rear shock on my Trek Fuel EX8 – WSD.

Last time I was in Copper Harbor – I think it was two weeks ago – my rear shock got a little soft. I pumped more air into it and all the air leaked out when I took the pump off. Chris, at Keweenaw Adventure Company, managed to get it in working order for me to enjoy some serious riding this week.

The shock went soft during Wednesday night’s ride. I put more air into it only to have the air leak out, again. I was mildly upset. I couldn’t take it in until Friday, so I threw the bike in my truck and took it to The Bike Shop after work, today. Don’t worry, I warned Steve with an email the other day. I rushed elsewhere to pick up a check and cash it. Then, it was off to Dairy Queen (thanks, Marty! ). I called the guys at the bike shop and took orders for an ice cream delivery courtesy of me. They were happy.

While I was doing all of that, Steve repaired my shock. It was a simple fix (valve issues). I was fully prepared to swap parts between my new and old bikes and ride my Trek Fuel EX7 in the race, but Steve was pretty adamant about getting my EX8 race ready for tomorrow. We all ate ice cream. Then, Steve decided to give my bike the works. He adjusted my front brake rotor – it was previously rubbing and squealing and Glen adjusted it enough to be bearable until I could get it to Steve (thanks, Glen!). He checked over everything and made sure everything was tight, adjusted, and shifting well. The cost? DQ Blizzards.

For the most part, Steve and Caleb are the only guys I’ve done bike business with. From my first days as a newbie biker afraid of the unknown bike shop guys, they’ve offered me excellent service. When it comes down to it, they’re two happy bikers who want to keep everyone else riding, and they go above and beyond for their clientele (you should’ve heard the requests they were trying to fulfill for out-of-towners before the Keweenaw Chain Drive).

It’s no wonder my bike guys get homemade chocolate chip cookies and DQ Blizzards.

I came home with a bike, quite happy, and made Steak au Poivre with mixed veggies. I followed that with raspberry rhubarb crisp topped with French vanilla ice cream (thanks, Dad) and some KBC Ambers. I know this isn’t the best way to fuel for a race, but I’m happy, fed, and ready to go for tomorrow.