Remember, I got that fancy-schmancy carbon-fiber racing bike last December after my dismal performance in the bike portion of the the Florida Ironman. I've ridden it ONCE since then because of weather and "dirty roads". Its been on my trainer and I've ridden it for my Spinerval workouts but that's not the same as riding it on the road.
So, today was the day.
Kurt raised the stem for me (per my request), put water bottle carriers on it, and pumped the tires and checked the brakes. Its nice to have a resident bike mechanic at home (even though he gritches about it all the time).
So I took a spin around the neighborhood first and yowza, it felt so weird! I've been riding my road bike for the last few weeks (same bike I rode in the IM) and its a totally different bike and fit.
On my racing bike, I'm tucked in tight in a total aero position, whereas on my road bike I'm more stretched out, if that make sense. My racing bike is also much lighter - I can pick it up with one hand.
After test driving it for a few miles, we took off for a 2 hr ride. Whew! I was flying. I actually passed Kurt for once! Either those Spinervals were paying off or this was one fast ride!
I felt really good. We cruised along for quite awhile just enjoying the ride. The weather was perfect - sunny, clear, no wind, and about 75 degrees. Kurt likes to ride out east, which is not as pretty as riding west but there's much less traffic.
So we stop to get a drink and chat for a bit and a truck pulls up, and the driver (who obviously knew Kurt) jumps out of his truck, runs over to us and hands us a roll that he said he just made, saying something about a sourdough starter, and then jumps back in his truck and speeds off. We laughed and I took a picture of Kurt holding his roll (see above). I found out later that Mr. Breadmaker is a local psychiatrist...figures!
It took me awhile to get used to my new bike. I was frustrated at the start but as we rode on, it felt better. I can definitely go faster on this bike. But its not as comfy as my road bike and that's a bit disconcerting, considering I'm training for a race that involves a 112 mile bike ride. But after about 20 miles or so, I felt like I was finally "settling in" to the new bike fit and feeling comfortable.
Later, we rode our bikes down to the Rio with the kids - they are really good bike riders - and back home, which is mostly uphill. Had a nice time
Tomorrow Master's swim starts again and I'm looking forward to it. Not a bad weekend, despite the lack of a long run. Capping it off with a margarita almost made up for it!
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