I had better luck removing my fork protectors with one of those screwdrivers that accept the little plug bits (so you can change from phillips to flathead to Torx, etc)... It was broader than a normal flathead (where the flathead, even put sideways wanted to just cut into the plastic)... A few taps with the hammer and the protector pieces popped off.

I've got to give the forks a bit of a cleaning... Polish up the brace and then it's install time.

But for tomorrow, I think I'm going to ride the bike as is. I've got 5 blocks~ into work and it's supposed to be near 50!