Mine, all mine!

I did it.

I went and bought myself my very first tri bike, all mine. Mine, I tell you.

She is a Quintana Roo Seduza, size XS frame, 650c wheels. As I mentioned, she is a moderately light 19.3 lb. Carbon everything, Dura Ace everything. I put on look pedals (Ultegra) and a new Specialized Jet saddle - time will tell on that one...I'm dressing her with red bar tape and red bottle cages - she needs some more red things, I think. For now.

I take possession either this week, or after we get back from Scotland. I'm for putting it on the trainer today, but Mr. Killjoy Hub says we have a lot to do before we go.

Huh. Packing. Forgot about that part...

Pictures forthcoming.

I should mention that for group training today, we went mountain biking up Cedro Peak. I borrowed my mother's mountain bike - a very cool green Gary Fisher with disc brakes, Bontrager everything, shimano shifters, and a derailleur made of cheese (more on that later). My mom doesn't know much about bikes, but she is very good about buying first rate stuff. It may not have had many miles (it has 20 more now), but this was no K-mart special bike. The other kids were jealous, they all wish their moms had cool mountain bikes they could borrow.

I have to say mountain biking is not my favourite sport. Holy Crap, it's hard! And nerve wracking. I think I may have burned a few skillion calories in sheer stress. There was snow, there were boulders, there were rocks, there was mud. Needless to say, I got very muddy. I ate mud. My water bottle was muddy. The knobbies were so caked with mud they were like racing slicks -- 4 inch wide racing slicks...I had flashbacks both to falling down and breaking my arm 2 months ago, and to my youth, when I was a dirt biker.

Yes, this pirate got her start on a YZ-80, at about age 8. Apparently, I picked up a couple of skills in my dirt biking days which kept my bones unbroken today. One skill I like to call the bail out. That's where if, say, you're on a steep incline or something hairy you know exactly when to bail out and put a foot down before you fall over. I'm an expert at the bail out.

The other skill I have carried with me these past 100 years is picking lines. That's where you find the easiest, safest path - the one where you are least likely to find yourself having to bail out or fall over. I was picking a few good lines today -

Mountain biking is also different in that the brakes are reeely good on the bike (a little too good if you ask me). I must be a bike geek now, I identified that the freakin' rear derailleur on her bike kept shifting spontaneously. Of course, that could have been due to the 20 pounds of mud I picked up back there, but still.

And what is up with the 40 lb bike? Does it need to be so heavy? The new bike I'm buying weighs less that the quantity of mud I picked up today!

It did have awesome suspension. I can see why that is a good thing.

We went to a car wash after the ride - I thought it best to return her Gary Fisher in its original green color.

And now I'm bushed. I'm going to sleep good tonight...