And just like that, the race was over before it began.

I arrived in Marbella yesterday, ready to go through all the formalities today (Saturday), and then to race tomorrow. But it was not to be. When I put my bike together last night it was shifting strangely. I decided to let it be and do the fine tuning this morning. I got close to making it work today, but it was still wonky so I decided to take it to the onsite bike service to have them fix it correctly.

I dropped off the bike a bit after 12h, they said it would be done by 15h. I gave them a bit of leaway and went back at 15h30. My bike was on the stand and they were working on it. He checked the straightness of the derailleur, then took it off – snap! the derailleur hanger broke.

My Cervelo S5 is not new, it takes a specific derailleur hanger to make the magic happen. And this replacement derailleur hanger could not be found anywhere in the vicinity of Marbella, especially at 16h on a Saturday when most bike shops are already closed until Monday. What to do? No replacement parts, no available rental bikes, the bike transition area close soon… I ran to the closest (only) place still open… no luck.

As I walked my bike back to the hotel, resigned to the fact that I had to withdraw from the race the night before it takes place, I thought about the race – my shoulder still hurts (going to the doctor next week) and it is difficult to sleep through the night from the ache/pain, my right calf is just coming back to being ok after several months, my left knee has been clicking (like my left shoulder) and has made running difficult lately.. As I told my brother recently, “it’s not the years, it’s the mileage.” I take all this as a sign that this race was not to be.

So tomorrow I get to sleep in a bit and then spectate. I plan to swim and run tomorrow, taking advantage of being here – I need to put my time to good use, and dream of next year…