Wow, what a bike- now if only the operator could keep up!
Arriving at the race, I had not anticipated the 25 minutes need to register. Those were the 25 minutes I had planned to use to adjust my saddle and ride the bike prior to the start. I had not even sat on the new bike before arriving in Hudson. Unfortunately, all I had time to do pre-race was adjust the saddle and ride directly to the start. My mind was racing as I rode through the parking lot desperately trying to figure out the Scram shifting and whether my brakes were crossed up (as I had requested). I finally decided that the brakes were not crossed and I got the chain into the small ring as I arrived at the start. I spent the first half of the race thinking about shifting but trying to figure out how far to push. After half a lap, I said "oh hell just shift". Thankfully, my precision increased as the race progressed. During the race the bike felt like a rocket across the flats - so responsive and quick. It fit perfectly and felt great. But every corner was a challenge. None of the corners felt smooth or flowing, instead everyone was a frustration. I finish the race having loved riding the new blue bike but knowing things could go better. After chatting with Mike and being surprised that Ben did not cross up my brakes, I rolled over to WW and chatted with him. As I was lamenting mechanic Ben's error, I stopped mid-sentenced when I realized it was my racing mind that had miscalculated on the way to the start. Well no wonder the corners were terrible! I was on my front brake in every corner and barrier. Dang!
Trying for a bit of redemption, I took the bike out to the park yesterday and "nailed" every corner.
Beckie
the builder
the story
.
