Lotoja is Coming!

It's only 2 weeks before Lotoja and I'm getting pretty nervous.  I'm trying to get my last bit of hard training  before I start to taper down the last week leading up to the race.  Last week was great as far as training goes.  I wasn't able to get anything very long in distance, but I was able to climb Butterfield Canyon to the top on three separate occasions and that felt good.  This week as been a bit tougher time wise so it hasn't gone as well.

I'm having to get a new tubular tire for my back wheel as my current tire is officially shot.  As you can see from the picture I've had to be a little creative in trying to get the most life out of this tire as possible.  I've been using (with pretty good success) tube patches on the outside of my wheel to cover spots where large spots of tire rubber is missing.  The patches last about a week but they only cost about 50 cents each so it's a heck of lot cheaper then gluing a new tire.  Unfortunately, it's to a point now where I can't seem to keep air in the wheel for very long as the cuts have just gotten worse and worse.  I can't believe how fast the back wheel wears on tubulars. I will try a different brand to see if it helps but this last one only lasted 2 to 3 months.  The tire I'm replacing is the Continental Sprinter Gaterskin tubular tire for anyone who is interested.  I wasn't really impressed.  The next tire I will try is the Continental Grand Prix 4000 SR tubular.  I've heard it lasts longer but we'll see I guess.