Disgusting.

The Storck is a mess.

It hasn't been outside in four months, and it's filthy.

The top of the bottom bracket shell is coated in a thick combination of chain oil, dust, sweat, and probably more than a few tears. Other parts of the bike are liberally slathered in what I could market as "gourmet artisan salt". Some sections are still clean, but I'll get to them sooner or later.

It needs a bath, and it's a little cold to be out washing my bike. I could take it in the shower with me, but the wife had some choice words that included the phrase "divorce settlement" the last time she caught me doing it, so I'm going to resort to spray bottles and paper towels to try to peel back the layers to a more manageable state.

I really shouldn't let it get this bad, but the last thing I want to do after grinding away on the trainer is clean anything except for my body. Once I am clean, I don't want to be anywhere near the nastiness that is my bike. It's lucky if I oil the chain once in a while.

Still, it's something I need to do. The bike has performed admirably despite my neglect, and my risk of contracting the Zika virus from it would be cut in half with a few minutes of effort.

I know once I clean the bike, I'll start noticing how filthy everything else is, and the cycle will begin all over again. Eventually I'll return to the road, and the funk from this year will fester until I deal with it in the fall.

Or not.

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