With the extremely mild weather PEI has been getting (and the rest of the country it seems) I took the opportunity to get off the winter Fixxie, and hop on my new roadie, an Opus Toccata for the very first ride(not even on the trainor).
Getting a new bike is such a bittersweet thing. There is something special about hopping on a brand new virgin bike, but at the same time it takes a few rides and some miles to get the feel for what it should be like, and usually results in about 100 changes before its right.
Within the first half kilometer I made about 4 changes. Rotate the bars, up/down the seatpost, change the angle of the seat, etc. I have the pleasure of riding the Selle San Marco Concor, which I've ridden before, and is the ONLY saddle I've never gone numb on. Its also the same seat Lance and Discovery uses(they got the idea from me). I would kiss this saddle if it wasnt covered in a fine goo of Bag Balm.
The ride started off great. I only had time to get in a brisk 3 hours, because of the appraoching darkness, and I had to go to work. The past few years I've been a pretty much a ghost on PEI, and Holy Crap! I forgot how hilly it was. Also there was a very brisk wind, a cold winter wind puffing at about 60km/h, which didnt help my weak unconditioned legs. Other than my poor form, it felt good to get back on island roads as it has been over a year since I've done a road ride on PEI.
Getting a new bike is such a bittersweet thing. There is something special about hopping on a brand new virgin bike, but at the same time it takes a few rides and some miles to get the feel for what it should be like, and usually results in about 100 changes before its right.
Within the first half kilometer I made about 4 changes. Rotate the bars, up/down the seatpost, change the angle of the seat, etc. I have the pleasure of riding the Selle San Marco Concor, which I've ridden before, and is the ONLY saddle I've never gone numb on. Its also the same seat Lance and Discovery uses(they got the idea from me). I would kiss this saddle if it wasnt covered in a fine goo of Bag Balm.
The ride started off great. I only had time to get in a brisk 3 hours, because of the appraoching darkness, and I had to go to work. The past few years I've been a pretty much a ghost on PEI, and Holy Crap! I forgot how hilly it was. Also there was a very brisk wind, a cold winter wind puffing at about 60km/h, which didnt help my weak unconditioned legs. Other than my poor form, it felt good to get back on island roads as it has been over a year since I've done a road ride on PEI.
Another of my realizations on the ride was that I dont know how to use gears anymore. I found myself cranking up hills in my hardest gear, not realizing I now can shift. This ride was the first time I've been on a geared bike in 7 months.
As I started to find my way back to Charlottetown, I felt the framilier feeling that every athlete hates. That being........the BONK.
BAM! it hit me hard. suddenly, the wind was psuhing oh so much harder, and the cold was getting me to the bone. For about a half hour I was licking my stem up every climb, which was a lot on PEI. As dusk appraoched the only thing I could think about was milk, and peanut butter. Needless to say I didnt have any with me.
BAM! it hit me hard. suddenly, the wind was psuhing oh so much harder, and the cold was getting me to the bone. For about a half hour I was licking my stem up every climb, which was a lot on PEI. As dusk appraoched the only thing I could think about was milk, and peanut butter. Needless to say I didnt have any with me.
I finally made it home, barely able to summit the last climb because my arms(?) were shaking with weakness. As I walked in, I was greated by my mom who was busy making supper, and to my delight, it was chicken crepes for dinner. OHHH deadly. You dont realize how good home is until you leave. After a long shower and a quick nap, I was ready to head to work.
The Opus was great, despite my poor conditioning. The Aluminum bottom bracket is super stiff for my thrashing style this time of year, and once again the tried tested and true Dura-Ace/Mavic Ksyriums combo are pretty much bombproof. You cant go wrong with a combo like that.
The Opus was great, despite my poor conditioning. The Aluminum bottom bracket is super stiff for my thrashing style this time of year, and once again the tried tested and true Dura-Ace/Mavic Ksyriums combo are pretty much bombproof. You cant go wrong with a combo like that.
No comments:
Post a Comment