It's here!!!!

The bike has finally arrived! And just in time for the Woodlands CB&I Triathlon. This gives me one week to get used to shifting in the aero position and recover from being incredibly saddle sore. I didn't think Saddle soreness would be a problem. I've ridden for years and have never really had that big of an issue with it. However, there are certain things that can be an issue for a guy if the saddle isn't just right, and I've been told that switching to an Adamo saddle would probably be the best thing for me. So I switched. The traditional saddle supports your frame on a single thin saddle nose down the center... and the Adamo has a "split" nose that spreads the support out towards the outside of your... well... "contact area". It felt a million more times comfortable right off the bat, but the next day was a different story. The first rides of the season are rough and you can expect to be sore, but it has progressively gotten easier because my body has become used to it. Well this was a brand new position for my saddle and my body definitely let me know that it did not see that one coming.
The next piece of equipment I am excited about trying out is my new Louis Garneau Tri shoes. I found a pair of size 50 tri shoes on Ebay, and they were relatively cheap compared to your average retail tri shoe... only $120. (Seriously, shop around, you will see... that's about half price) So I took a gamble and ordered a pair without ever trying them on. I knew I would be pretty close on the size because I was finally fitted correctly. The shoes themselves are perfect. I have never ridden with a pair of prand new, comfortable, no hassle shoe before, and I am perfecty satisfied with these shoes. There is one large velcro strap to get in and out of the shoes quickly, they are lightweight, and they are well ventilated so your wet foot can dry out on the bike ride, yet they provide plenty of support. The process I chose to purchase these shoes however is regretable. If you click on the link above for the shoe, you can see that these shoes are available straight from the website. This is always the best way to purchase new gear online. Ebay/craigslist should be used as a last resort for times when you know exactly what you want, and you know you can get a great deal. I do not recommend shopping on Ebay for retail items than can be purchased for the same price straight from the source. All you are doing is adding another link in the chain, and another opportunity for something to go wrong. This is what happened to me. I saw the shoes on Ebay and got excited. They had the size I was looking for, and being that a size 50-52 is a difficult size to find n the first place, when i saw that this guy only had one pair left, I paniced and hit buy it now. If I had taken the time and done the research like i did before writing this article, I would have found that I could buy these shoes straight from LG for the same price and not had to worry about wether or not this Ebay schmuck would follow through with the order. I say that because I realized very quickly how horribly wrong this entire deal could have gone south about 3 days after i purchased the shoes. I clicked "buy it now" on a Wednesday and by friday i still had not even received a confirmation email from 2wheels77. (Yes this is his real Ebay username and he does operate a real life Ebay bike store) So i sent him an email and asked him if he received my order, he sent back a one line email response that said... "Thx, rec'd order will ship out by next Tuesday. Rgds" I saw this and about 50 questions popped into my mind. Was he saying thanks for notifying him that he had a sale? Had he forgotten? Had he just not paid attention? Or was he just being patronizing and saying don't worry, I'm gonna ship it out. Either way, that answer wasn't good enough for me. It had been three days, it is his job to contact me first, and if he DID ship it out the following tuesday, THAT'S ALMOST A WEEK... If you run an Ebay store, it shouldn't be that hard to ship out a show box in no more than 2-3 days (especially if that's what your ad claims.) So the timeline he gave me was unacceptable from the beginning, and then... HE DIDN'T SHIP THE SHOES UNTIL THURSDAY!!!! If you're going to promise something, have the professionalism to follow through or at least communicate to the buyer any issues that might be causing a delay. I had a brand new bike sitting in my house, no shoes to ride it, and a triathlon a week a way. I was beginning to think that this guy was gonna keep me from participating in the first race of my season. So then i started reading his feedback... (I know... a little too late) and I saw the exact same thing happening to a handful of other people. Apparently this guy advertises on Ebay a lot of stuff that he doesn't even have in stock, and if it sells, he goes and gets it and then ships it to you. There were comments about never receiving the goods, filing claims with the Ebay dispute center, and fighting to get money returned. There was a lot of positive feedback as well, but apparently you have to get lucky and buy something he has sitting there ready to go and waiting on his shelf. Needless to say I was really getting nervous. The shoes finally arrived and I love them. I got lucky.
Well that's all for today, I'll write more about the bike later. I want to take it for more than the two rides i've had before I do a review. But I will say this... WOW!!!! In the meantime... Enjoy the pictures.
PS I have a nice watch tan to keep me smiling through the day at work... Yeah Spring!

Anticipation - Half the fun - Best Motivation

April is widely considered the start of the racing season. There aren't that many triathlons in March, because it's still a bit too chilly. But Ahhh April. Trainers start collecting a bit of dust as bikers make their way onto the streets, long sleeves and leggings are packed away in favor of the shorty's, and the farmer's tan across the bicep is a warmly welcomed resident. Today is an extermely special day for a select few. Ironman Kona announces the winners of their lottery slots for the National Championship race in Hawaii.

I can't help but get caught up in the excitement of the racing season. I shop for bikes every year, even if I don't need one, because they are always changing and I love triathlons for very the same reason as I love working in my wood shop... I love the tools. So, added to the normal excitement of planning your season's race calendar and whipping your body into shape, I can only imagine the excitement you must feel on a day like today if you were to hear that you had won one of these coveted slots. "But Honey... it's Kona... I NEED the 5k dollar bike!" The average TV viewer might see the Hawaiian Ironman on TV and think that if you're crazy enough to decide to do it, the biggest obstacle is behind you. That is far from the truth. There are only three ways to get to Kona... Qualifying, Charity, Lottery.

Only the best can qualify for Kona. It's much like the Boston Marathon, there are certain qualifying races and you must place high enough in those races to receive one of the available slots. This is quite the accomplishment to be proud of.

Supporting a charity is the most reliable method of assuring yourself a chance to participate in Kona. But be prepared, you don't just pick a charity and have all the pieces fall in to place. There is a lot of work involved. I don't know all of the ins and outs of charity racing, but the little I have read about Kona definitely impressed me. The good news is there are organizations out there that will actually help you organize your fundraising efforts. Or, if you're rich, you can do what the celebrities do and find a charity that has done all of the work and purchase one of the slots that they are auctioning off. I have seen slots for Kona go for tens of thousands of dollars.

The Lottery is the easiest way to get to Kona, but possibly the least likely way you will ever get there, considering the thousands of people you are going up against for one of the 200 available slots (150 dedicated to US citizens and 50 dedicated to internationals). But wait, you still have to do a bit of work to make this happen. You must pay to apply for the lottery, and if you are lucky enough to get one of the slots, you must complete a half IM or greater within one year of the race to validate your lottery position.

So Congratulations to this year's Lottery winners. Here's a shout out to a few that were chosen right here in my back yard.

Amy Barr - The Woodlands
John Laskowski - The Woodlands
Laura O'Connor - Houston
William Davenport - Missouri City
Cindy Reeves - League City

And as far as all Texans chosen, there were also three from Austin, and one each from Dallas, Ft. Worth, Frisco, and San Marcos. Good luck to all of today's Lottery Winners, and who knows, maybe next year. I'm plannning on doing IM Wisconsin 2011, but this Lottery thing might be worth a shot.

Sunny with a high of 80 today... I can't wait for the shipment of my new cannondale slice, However, I have gotten used to reading my "Triathlete" magazine and watching the TV while I train on the stationary at the Y. Oh well... I AM more excited about getting my first sunburn of the season!!!!

Soulrider.

LBS continued

The Local Bike Shop is key to the bike purchase experience. Bikes are expensive, and they are much less forgiving than even a new car. They are a mechanical expression of you as a racer. It's like saying... "I'm not predjudice, but." As soon as somebody says that, you know they're about to say something extremely predjudice. So here it goes... I'm not superficial... but. You CAN tell a lot about somebody just by taking a quick look at their bike. If it is meticulously cleaned on race day, it's probably a sign that that person has truely prepared for the race. If the bike is brand new, has all the bells and whistles, and obviously cost a wad of cash, pay attention to that racer, you will either be impressed or entertained. If that person looks in shape but is riding on an old street bike, watch out... that person obviously has the confidence to compete no matter what he's riding, so no matter how prepared he is for the race on that day, he just might have what it takes to gut anything out for an hour or two.

Anyway, the best thing the LBS does for you is give you confidence in your new purchase. One, you've seen the bike... Two, you've ridden the bike... Three, you've met the people who will be servicing your bike... Four, you've been inspired by the others you see walking in and out of the store parading their 5K & 6K dollar bikes like proud parents. So when a LBS does the exact opposite, and removes all the buyers confidence in purchasing a new bike, the patron is better off purchasing on the internet.

I am the biggest fan of supporting your LBS, but I refuse to faithfully dole out money to an establishment of snobs who make you feel like they are counting down the seconds until you let them get back to what they were doing before you walked in the door. From the grey haired lady that hasn't cracked a smile in 15 years, to the creepy blank stares from the bike guru himself, all the way down to the young girl behind the counter who actually has to be told that you're ready to check out before she makes her way to the register to help the patron standing at the glass counter with his arms full of gear.

But I digress... on a related note, I've purchased no less then 6 bikes from my favorite LBS over the past 15 years... driving as far as 50-60 miles for service during a period of time when i lived a bit further away. Presently, living closer in proximity to my beloved LBS (in the Woodlands, TX) than ever before, have decided to purchase a bike from a new store about an hour and a half drive away. Specifically because of the reasons detailed above. I have put up with the akwardness, the frustration, the inconvenience for all these years out of compulsion to support a retailer that i desperately wanted to believe in. Now that I'm ready to make that big purchase, and I truely want to have the complete buying experience, I actually feel a sense of liberation. The sheer sense of excitement that was received after the very first phone conversation with Webster Bicycle in Webster, TX has been worth the whole process, and they haven't even seen one red cent from me yet. But I can tell you this... I placed a call, they called me back, we had an actual conversation, I hung up the phone with confidence. So thank you Terry, at Webster Bicycle. I will be comming to see you soon to place my down payment and secure the delivery of my brand new tri bike.

I will discuss the bike I chose tomorrow, but for now here are some links to the final three I was reviewing up until this past weekend. I will discuss everything from aluminum to carbon as it relates to Clydesdales, and everything from colors to components as it relates to your investment.

the Felt B16
The Quintana Roo Seduza
The Cannondale Slice 5