This morning, I pumped up my road bike's rear tire. It's got a slow leak - never enough to make it flat enough to ride, but enough to make it soft.

I've been feeling slow lately. For the past few weeks, it's felt as though everything on the bike takes a lot of energy - when I'm going, I'm crawling, spinning slowly, struggling up the bridge, never cruising at those fast paces that I love so much. I thought it was me having gotten knocked out of shape by my somewhat dismal August.

Um. Do you see where this is going?

This morning, I pumped up my road bike's rear tire. When I stuck the pumphead on, the pressure guage read 50psi. Seriously? I've been riding 50psi, thinking "it feels a little bit soft," for a month. Where has my head been?

Oh dear.

So I put it at 120 psi, had a bone-jarring ride to work ("oh right, this is what it feels like to ride over these streets at this pressure") that was also much, much swifter than it has been.

Oh dear.

So my head might be stuck thinking I'm way off my top form (which I might be), and though my body had been agreeing, it seems like some sensible changes to my bike might reverse the whole course and get me back on track for some fun-level competitions this fall: Nyack and Back, being put on by Crihs late this month, and the Wednesday night Prospect Park track bike races that Al is doing.

Of course, knowing that Jersey Dan will be competing - after having taken first cat 4 in the Green Mountain Stage Race - well, it's not like I'm gonna win.

But I'll have fun, and I won't be whining about how I can't make my bike move.