New Bikes in the Family

I've been meaning to put up a post about my new bike for a while...

Please enjoy the Specialized Transition Expert.  In this case it is shown with my Mavic Cosmic Carbone wheels but it came with Roval Fusee Star wheels (which are pretty awesome wheels for training and are on my road bike right now.)  It would also normally have Speedplay pedals on it but I have them on my other bike at the moment as well.

The Vision Aerobars are pretty nice, comfy and fast looking...

The Vision brakes are razor thin which reminds you not to use them very often....

The whole bike is incredibly aerodynamic - I haven't seen a bike this narrow before.  When I look down at the top tube it is WAY narrower than I am used to - pretty awesome.

The rear brake is placed down by the bottom bracket - for aerodynamics...

The bottle cage between the aerobars is the cheapest, coolest, improvement in aerodynamics you can make (actually I have no idea if that is true but let's go with it....)  Get four cable ties, a bottle cage (the Specialized Rib Cage is perfect), lay the cage between the aerobars, zap, zap, zap, zap presto!  No more reaching down, no more bottle & cage down there in the wind, it is now tucked between your forearms and in front of your crotch OUT of the wind.  It is also super convenient to use from this location.

I'd like to draw your attention to the Bike Gallery sticker....  Stephen Kim down at the Bike Gallery has hooked me up hugely, he connected me with Specialized, and has been a huge supporter of me and my goals for a long time.  His shop is the perfect combination of great bikes, great knowledge and excellent personalized service.  I highly recommend you check it out...

There was also a birthday around these parts a little while back...  Viggo got his first bike!  It is a fire engine red Radio Flyer.  I expect the drivetrain to last for years - it is extremely low maintenance.

You wouldn't want to be a kitchen cabinet in our house these days...  the V-man has a ways to go with his bike handling...

But he has a few good teachers...

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Tomorrow We Race!

In this case "we" means Mattias and I....

Tomorrow is the North Shore Spring Triathlon.  Just like last year, my participation will be overshadowed by a first-timer - this time it's my own son!

This is really an absolutely perfect race for a beginner, and I may try to bring one triathlon rookie every year!

- pool swim (750m)

- flat, simple bike (20km)

- fun run on part trails, part road, couple of small hills (5km)

- great community atmosphere

This year Mattias is doing the 6-7 year-old's relay with his buddy Carter.  Mattias will swim and run, leaving the cycling to Carter.  The distances are 50m swim, 1.5 km bike, 500m run.

Today Kevin and I held a transition practice: mounts, dismounts, running with the bikes, tagging, racking bikes, putting on helmets and ripping them off etc.  If you've ever watched a kids tri - this is where the carnage takes place (and the race is won or lost.)  More important than competitiveness is that our sons do not perpetuate the myth reality that triathletes are known for disastrously poor bike handling.  We want our kids to be part of the solution not the problem!

Kevin with his students...

Carter with the day's best "flying dismount"...

Mattias dutifully dismounting PRIOR to the dismount line...

Unfortunately I have a bit more confidence in these guys than myself tomorrow.  I am breaking the "nothing new on race day" rule in a major way:

- New bike (friday)

- New water bottle position (put it between the aerobars - a few hours ago)

Hopefully nothing disastrous will happen...

Here is my new ride courtesy of Specialized and the the Bike Gallery HUGE THANK YOU to both!

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Florida Here I Come!

The horrifically bad postcard above is of Clermont, Florida.  I spent a few minutes trying to find a nicer one but in the end the "Gem of the Hills" slogan sold me on displaying this one for your viewing pleasure.  Photo Credit:  none (I can see why.)

The big news I have been alluding to occasionally over the last week or so is that I have been officially invited to a Cycling Canada Road Camp in Florida.

Clermont is the location.  It is just outside of Orlando and directly adjacent to Mickey and Minny's 25,000 acre crib.  The "Hills" referenced in the postcard are what Clermont is "known" for.

The camp will run for the latter half of March.

I am pretty excited about the opportunity to ride alongside the country's top Para-Cyclists.  It will be an excellent chance to see where I stand and determine how to achieve the goals I have set for myself.

I am under no illusions however - I feel certain I will be dropped like a bad habit more than once.  Time will tell...

In order to guarantee that I am healthy I have decided to withdraw from the often wet and cold UBC triathlon in order to avoid dancing around in my tri-suit for 2.5 hours on Sunday.  I want to be fit and healthy going into the camp so I will do a long ride and cheer my friends on instead.

In other news:  

With the camp coming up and a series of cycling races not too far off on the horizon I had to assess my equipment.  My two-wheeled arsenal currently consists only of a Specialized Transition (TT/Triathlon) and an old Specialized Epic mountain bike.  

Since this was as close as my bicycle tree ever got to blooming - I was forced to make some decisions.  

Fortunately, I had a GREAT meeting with Stephen Kim from The Bike Gallery.  The Bike Gallery and Specialized sponsored me last year and are set to do the same again this year.  There should be a couple of shiny new rides (road and TT) arriving sometime soon.  

I am incredibly fortunate to have support from Stephen and Specialized - I will be dedicating a post to it sometime in the very near future.

Incidentally, one or both of my other bikes (the Transition and the Epic) will be going up for sale shortly for those who may be interested....

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