T-Minus 1 Week—I Need This Week to Recover From Packing!

Whew! Packed!

Well, that was exhausting! According to my Things-I-Need-to-Do-Before-I-Leave calendar, I was going to pack up Tilmann tomorrow. I packed the panniers yesterday (as much as I could, anyway). After riding for a couple of errands, and realizing I wasn’t going to be using Tilmann anymore before I leave, I thought I might as well start cleaning him. One thing led to another, and I ended up doing the cleaning AND packing Tilmann into his case. I was a little nervous about whether he would still fit into the case with the bigger tires (even thouh I let as much air out as I could without losing the bead on the tubeless rims). I was right to be worried. It was touch and go for awhile, but bit by bit, I finally got the zipper completely closed. Fortunately, there are 8 straps in addition to the zipper. I just hope TSA can get it closed again when they open it for inspection.   I also finished with the panniers, getting them loaded into the Chinese shopping bag. This bag’s dimensions are different than the previous bags I’ve had. I think it’s actually better. Well, everything fit into it anyway. I also reinforced the seams. I feel like I’m pretty Chinese shopping bag savvy now. I know its weak points. Gorilla tape helps.   So, what am I going to do for the next week? I’m going to ride. I have at least 3 gravel rides, and one night ride. Since I packed today, I can ride tomorrow! I know the title of this post says I need a week to recover from packing, but...I can’t exactly do that! Must ride to be in shape for Australia!