It's a Beautiful Thing

I am smelly, sticky, covered in sweat, and just overall nasty. My hair is sopping wet and sticking up where the vents in my helmet were. There are salt crystals on several different areas of my body. A gnat or two in my eye and more that died in the sweat and forest of chest hair. I'm sore and a few muscles are even cramping. I have the red, slimy gunk at the corners of my mouth from the sugary sports drink I've been consuming. I can look in the mirror and respect what I've just accomplished.

Man, have I missed this. I am back on the bike and it is a beautiful thing. The first time I pedaled it around the apartment complex, I let out a shrill of jubilation. It had been entirely too long. Nothing compares to wind in your face as you soar down the mountain at 48 mph, exploring new roads, overlooking cliffs and mountains, and taking in the beautiful fall colors of the Southeast.
This was the ride today: click here

What might be even more beautiful is the bike itself. Her name is Sabella (Thank you Michaela for your help) and she is magical. The new Red front derailleur is the best shifting derailleur I've ever used. It was definitely worth all the time setting up and not over-hyped. It makes it fun to switch back and forth from the big ring: so crisp, clean, and responsive. I am running a 28 tooth cassette in the rear too which my fat butt is really enjoying on these climbs so far. I will probably even put a 32 tooth on there for some of the big mountain races. I love the higher cadence. Climbing is my biggest weakness and I need all the help I can get. I will be focusing on that aspect of riding over the next 4 months to see what I can change. The Quarq Red powermeter crankset is an amazing new tool I am so eager to start fully utilizing. I have a small grasp of the concept of training with power right now, but am still working my way through the books and discovering how to properly coach myself to top form. The new Garmin Edge is a wonderful thing too. I never new how much more data I could get and analyze from upgrading my computer. I haven't gotten to try out the new wheelset I got with everything else. I'm certain it will be amazing though and complete the ultimate racing machine for this upcoming road season. All the equipment is there, now time to work on getting the engine running again.

The saddle is temporary. Haven't decided what I like.

Because it is majestic when you're in the saddle

The only thing I'm not happy with is the handlebar. The drops are way too flexy. I'm big, but not that big. Trying to sprint with these is a scary thing and I actually think they might break when I really give it all I got. I went aluminum too, but they flex more like aluminum foil. Not impressed with the Zipp service course bars.

There is some squeaking from somewhere in the rear of the bike. I haven't looked into it too terribly hard yet and hope I can figure it out soon and fix it.

Oh, and from the last post about camping, I forgot to mention the tick that attached to me over my clavicle. I didn't find it until Tuesday evening when I was about to shower. I remembering seeing a small speck when I was about to shower Monday night, but didn't worry about it. Since I showered once we got home Sunday night, that means it was at least attached to me for over 48 hours, maybe more. It was definitely sucking my blood and growing in size. I still didn't know what it was when I was grabbing at it Tuesday night. When I finally pulled it out I realized what it was. It was also still alive and crawling on my fingers. Ironic since we had just discussed Lyme disease and STARI in our med/surg course in school. Anyway, I haven't gotten sick that I know of, so I guess it's okay.


Thanks for reading and your comments are welcomed.