ready for MDR

Time for the 20th edition of the MDR "Memorial Day Ride", 4 days from Campbell to San Jose. This year: the coastal route. I may indulge in the Wes-inspired detour up and down Nacamiento Fergusson Road on the Big Sur Day. But let's see.

The key right now is getting to the start. So I packed my stuff in the Winter Allaban and will take the train to San Jose, ride from there to an AirBNB in Campbell, then from there it's 1 km to the tour start. Perfect. This will be my first AirBNB experience. It took some work to convince the host I was trustworthy. She prefers repeat-users who have a review history. But it turns out we have a common friend, so I think that helped. Coincidences....

Allaban

At the ride start, I'll ditch the rear rack and panniers, transfer my stuff to the duffle bag I have in the handlebar bag, and I'll be good to go. The tour is supported, so I don't actually need to bring even the handlebar bag, but I very much look forward to having some carrying capacity for the route, so I don't need to worry about stuffing clothing into overpacked jersey pockets.

Notable is the lack of fenders. After a fender clamp rattled use on SF2G, which served as a bit of a shake-down for MDR, I decided to leave the fenders off. I'll need to solve the screw loosening issue. Maybe some Loc-tite and cork washers. Box Dog Bikes will take care of it, I'm sure.

So fun days ahead, and the weather should be perfect. The tour always gives me a nice fitness boost as well, which will be great for the Diablo hill climb coming up on 21 June.

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