Dialed
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Zippy
They say that "fortune favors the foolish" and this weekend in the Northeast, it sure felt good to be as foolish as I am most of the time. The weather forecast was anything but positive from Friday morning through tonight. Sprinkles. Showers. Rain. Heavy Rain. Wind. Cold. Dark. Cloudy. You get the idea.
For a while now, I've been doing all of my bike workouts on my tri-bike - pretty much making minor fit adjustments after every ride. Saddle height. Armrest width. Aero extension lengths. You name it, I've been tweaking it... Trying to get my power output to match what I can crank out on the road bike. By the end of the week, however, I'd finally made it through a ride without the need to make any additional modifications - Everything felt good, and I felt strong on the machine.
Rounding out the week, with the Shamrock Duathlon looming on the horizon, I'd planned to go out for a long ride and double-check and finalize my position before race day. But with the weather being as gloomy as it was Saturday morning, it took me several cups of Joe to finally convince myself to just kit-up and get out of the house. A good choice (back to the fortune thing). As it turns out, I managed to put in a solid 2.5 hours on the tri-bike without so much as a sprinkle of rain. Oh sure, it was a nasty day to be out, but I dodged the rain and I was thrilled to feel at home and dialed-in on my machine. I might also add that the combination of Zipp 404s in the front, and 808s in the rear are perhaps the best combination racing wheelset I could have gone with. I purposely sought out all the variables I might see on a race day during my long test ride: long flats, short steeps, gentle rollers, headwinds, crosswinds, tailwinds... You name it, I rode it, and they perform beautifully to my liking.
So, I was fortunate to stay dry Saturday, but today was a bit of a different story. The rain was coming down heavy and hard during breakfast, and so I knew I would be relegated to the trainer for the 2 hour bike portion of my workout. Not bad, since I had such a good romp yesterday and am feeling satisfied with my bike fit. But afterwards I had an hour run on deck - and there was no way in hell I'd be spending an hour on the dreadmill. There was a break in the rain, and so I took my first steps out the door right off the bike... And then the rain started again, two steps out.
Oh well, at least I got everything in. Tomorrow starts week 2 of Build 2, and things are really starting to pick up.
Keep it easy.
8 Comments:
Lalalalghghaghg! (That's supposed to be the sound Homer makes when he drools.) That bike looks better than floor pie!
Nice ride...I was torn between that frame and the QR tequilo. Ended up with the tequilo. And I'm considering that exact wheel set.
We seem to have similar tastes in gear. Next you'll tell me you have an Ironman wetsuit and an iPod.
JP - The 606 wheelset is a fantastic wheelset, I can't say enough about how fast they ride.
And yes, I have an Ironman wetsuit, but my mp3 players are by Rio ;-)
I rode the 606 set for Ironman Coeur d'Alene last year and they are so very nice.
I'm hoping to purchase my own before Ironman Canada 2007.
Sweet looking ride, BTW.
Lastly, I've traded in the Rio Forge 256 for an iPOD Nano 2G and will never go back. I recommend you make the jump, too.
yep, I bought the Apple video iPod when it came out....its awesome. I listen to music or podcasts when I run and I download TV shows to watch on business trips. The screen is remarkably clear.
I'm an Apple fan, we have an iBook for our home PC....too bad I have to use a Windows machine for work.
Regarding the wheel set...are you running clinchers or tubulars?
Mental note: Check out iPods.
JP: I chickened out and stayed with clinchers for my race wheels - primarily because of my aversion to all things 'glued'. Keep in mind that I'm the same guy who trims, drills, hollows and bores every extra and unnecessary millimeter of material on his bikes to save weight... So you can imagine what kind of decision this was for me.
On the plus side, I've seen enough data supporting the claim that certain clinchers are as fast or faster than tubulars for me to believe it... So it wasn't a total loss.
I hear you...clincher rims are usually a couple hundred grams heavier, right?
My dilemma is that when I get my wheels, I'm planning on getting a PowerTap hub and will use the rear wheel as both a training and racing wheel. Seems a bit pricey to run a tubular for training, but I would prefer it for races (its easier to change too). I had tubies on my 650c HED3s and loved the feel of them...but then again, maybe it was the wheel not the tire. I guess I'll cross that bridge when i get to it....it probably won't be until the fall anyway. I'm planning on renting wheels (www.racedaywheels.com) for Timberman to see how I like the Zipps.
The weather is so inconsiderate.
Cheers.
Rice.
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