The Maiden Voyage

Here she is ladies and gentleman, the “Tuxedo” …
(named by the hubby, a tux to replace my grey suit)


One of the reasons I love this bike is the red anodized components :)


I love her, she is just so beautiful, you can’t help but want to go for a ride!

With that said, our maiden voyage was not without difficulty.

Saturday we went for a 3 hour ride and Sunday we went for a 4 hour ride … but to give you an idea about our maiden voyage on Saturday, it took longer than Sunday’s 4 hour ride! Saturday’s ride started off well enough with me spending a lot of time really focusing on the fit. For example, I don’t like the aerobar pads that came with the bike because they are too slippery (I will be replacing those asap), but other than that I was surprised at how comfortable I was so quickly. About 2 hours into the ride, just as I was hitting my stride and excited to be headed back to the car, out of nowhere, I felt some resistance that I was not expecting … sure enough, I had a flat.

Seriously! On my first ride? Uggh.

I hopped off the bike with confidence to change the tire, not expecting the battle that was to come. The tire did not want to come off the wheel for anything in the world. I had to just laugh at one point because otherwise I probably would have cried. My fingers were blistered and the damn tire still would not budge. I have struggled with tires before but nothing like this! I finally got the tire changed right around the time my hubby showed up on a rescue mission. He brought the Continental GP 4000 tires I had purchased with the bike and that I normally ride and decided to go ahead and switch out the tire. He is a pro, so I decided to let him go for it, and even he said it was the hardest time he ever had changing a tire. That made me feel MUCH better. I hate the idea of being a damsel in distress (although technically, I had changed it all by myself, even though it took a friggin hour, thank you very much).

So, I am not sure if it the factory wheels or what, but I am anxious for my new race wheels to arrive to see how challenging they are to change (more to come on the wheels).

The good news is that my Sunday ride was fantastic! I switched out the aerobar pads and was infinitely more comfortable on Sunday and my GP 4000s performed flawlessly. I am getting used to changing gears on the aerobars and I am happy with the overall feel of the bike. I might need a few minor adjustments, but overall, I am thrilled with my purchase and how quickly the Tux has started to feel like an extension of me.

Bike Search Update

Let me start this post by saying that I know this post is worthless without pics ... and I promise that they are coming, but I want to wait to post the photos until after my fitting tomorrow.

So, drum roll ...

I am the proud new owner of a Felt B16 Tri Bike and am currently searching for a set of 650c race wheels!

I tried to love the Cervelo P2, heck, I wanted to want the Cervelo P2, but ultimately, I was just much more comfortable on the Felt. I chose to go with the B16 instead of the B12 so that I could put the money savings towards a set of wheels.

I am anxious to get my final fitting tomorrow (although I have 6 months to go back for adjustments) and even more anxious / excited / nervous to ride this weekend to see how she feels on the open road.

My Giant, aka the Grey Suit (see this post item #33 for the name reference), is looking sharp as the hubby gave her a good cleaning -- even a wax job! -- so I can put her on Craigslist. She has been so good to me and I am hopeful to find her a good home.

I am almost feel legitimate now ... almost!

Decisions, decisions ...

Another weekend of back to back rides - to the tune of 170 miles - and I handed my very dirty bike off to my mechanic for some TLC.

My mechanic, aka, the hubby, informed me that I need to replace the drive train on my bike -- and that, plus the regular maintenance that she needs (cables, chain, etc), puts the cost of said new components and maintenance at a point where I have decided, with the recommendation of my mechanic of course, to put the money into a new bike instead. Yeah!

So, now for the hard part. Which bike? Do I upgrade my wheels? I don't want to rush my decision, but I have a big race in less than 2 months so I want to be training on my new bike by this weekend. I am excited to be moving from my modified road bike to a tri bike, but I am also nervous because my bike is so comfortable. In fact, it is like a perfectly worn in pair of blue jeans.

It is going to be a crazy, bike shopping week!

You know your training is ramping up when ... & June Recap

How do you know when your training volume is ramping up?

- At the end of the week you have used nearly all of your training clothes

- Your audio book only lasts through the weekend

- Your family knows not to schedule anything prior to lunch

- You can't keep enough nutrition in the house (EFS, Ultragen, etc)

- You eat a lot. Ok, all the time.

- A pedicure lasts a week - maybe

- You use the word "only" in front of anything shorter than a 4 hour ride or 2 hour run.

- You stop doing non-essential things, which is why I am way behind blogging, housekeeping and the like (family, work, training, sleeping, eating are essential)

- You are too tired to finish this list

June in Numbers
Swim: 31,450 yards in 12:35
Bike: 505.35 miles in 28:51
Run: 131.16 miles in 19:21
Other: 1:40
Total Time: 62:27

Milestones

I had the biggest bike volume training week ever in June - back to back bike days sure rack up the miles!

I also killed my new iPod, yes, you read that right, the brand new one. I bought this case for my new, new iPod to ensure that I will not have to replace the new, new iPod again due to my sweat (ewwww!). For the record, a ziploc bag will not protect your iPod ...

Where has the month of July already gone???

Happy Training!