New Bike
After the Great Buckeye Challenge, I took four days off. I wasn't very sore, luckily. My lower back was a little tight, and my quads were sore, but otherwise I got off easy.
I put a post on Facebook about finding a used triathlon bike or frameset a week or so ago. I've been saving up my "allowance" - yes, I'm a grown adult with a full time job and yes I'm on an allowance. So, after months of saving and researching, I put the note out and was on eBay and Craigslist several times a day.
I have visited several bike shops and was deciding to buy a used bike online and gamble on the sizing, or buying a lower end bike new at a shop to get the proper fit. Bikes, like many other things, depreciate in value rapidly. For example, a 2013 Cervelo P2 Ultegra at Montgomery Cyclery was going for $2800 all year long. Now that they are trying to make room for the 2014's, it's on sale for $2200. But, if you look online, you can find a 2012/2011 P2 for roughly $1500 to $1700. But, if you spend $1700 that you worked hard to save, and the damn thing is too big/small, imagine the disappointment! I was actually leaning toward saving until Jan/Feb, then heading to BioWheels or Go Fast Multisport (both are great bike shops) to get a fit and buy one of their lower end triathlon bikes.
But, I actually got three great responses to my Facebook add. Of the three, one was a 2008 Cervelo P2C 58cm with full Dura Ace. Other brands have started to become more popular, but for years (I've read) the Cervelo P-Series (P2, P3, P4, & P5) has dominated the transition area of triathlons everywhere. They look amazing and ride great (I read).
After the Buckeye Challenge, I met with the guy about the P2C. I went in unsure, prepared to just wait and get something later, but the bike was in great shape. He took good care of it, and the sizing was right. We agreed on a price and boom, I had a new triathlon bike. And, not just any bike. This thing is full carbon fiber (everything but the stem & handlebars), with a carbon FSA crankset and full Dura Ace gears. Also, the thing is very light and rides very smooth. I told someone it's like riding a giant stick of butter.
Here is a photo of it on my bike trainer in the living room.
Friday, September 6
Needless to say, I was up until 11:30pm playing with the new bike. I swapped out the stock seat for my ISM Adamo Century. I also added a hand pump to the bottle cage. I will eventually get an X-Lab hydration system to hold two water bottles and CO2 cartridges behind the seat. I also added my new pedals.
Since I was up so late, I struggled to get out of bed early enough to get in a decent ride. But I did manage to ride a quick 6 miles on the bike. The last time I biked this 6 mile route was WAY back in August of 2011 (see, it's nice keeping a training log with lots of information!). Back then, I could barely ride a road bike and my 6 mile average speed was 13.5 mph!!! That's crazy slow.
But some things I like about the bike after this initial ride. The training wheels it came with are great, true, and the tires are 23c slicks. They roll great. The handlebars are angled in a way that if you're not in the aero bars you're still leaning pretty far forward - good to avoid the wind some. The bike comes with one water bottle mount, and the previous owner added an aero bar bottle cage.
I was able to average 18 mph for 6 miles today (moving average). Nice little ride on my new stick of butter! That thing is wicked smooth! "Wicked awesome!"
Here is the Garmin Connect data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/371339284
Here is the same data in Strava:
Saturday, September 7
My wife went out for a 6 mile run, so I hopped on the treadmill for an easy 3 miler. Friday at lunch, I went to the Rec Center and did some heavy leg weight training. Very heavy. I am still sore Monday night as I type this. So, I was glad to get the easy 3 miler in to help keep my legs loose. We were busy with my daughter's soccer and other stuff all day, so this was the only thing I was able to get in.
Sunday, September 8
After lunch, my wife put the kids down for a nap and I took the new bike to the Loveland bike trail for a bike/run brick. I was especially sore this day, as I'm always the most sore 48 hours after lifting. My legs were like Jello. I planned to ride 10 miles out and 10 miles back, learning the bike more and trying to stay in the aero bars as much as possible.
The bike fit like a glove. I have the seat in the 78 degree seatpost hole to get a little more of an aggressive position. The seatpost has (I believe) a 75 degree setting and the 78. The bike just begs to go fast. My old bike was harder to get to and hold 20 mph. In the aero position, I was going 20-22 mph with moderate effort. I pushed it and got up to 25-26 mph, and could casually stroll along at 16-17. It was great.
The bike rolls super smooth and is very quiet. So, I would be passing people at 20-22 mph and I think I scared a lot of them. I was there, out of nowhere, cruising by. They couldn't hear me coming. I don't say, "On your left" like you're supposed to when passing people, when the left lane is wide open. I probably should have, but I would be saying that all day. I passed at least 100 people.
The ride was great. It was a little hot, around 91 degrees out. But with the breeze from riding, it was nice. I wound up riding 20.5 miles with an average moving speed of 18.5 mph. I saw a lot of slow traffic that kept me from averaging more. And, I had to get out of the aero bars about 5% of the time to stretch my legs. They were very sore. I went a little too heavy Friday at lunch!
Here is the Garmin Connect data for the ride: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/373112140
Here is the same data in Strava:
After the ride, I changed into my shoes and went for a 3 mile run. The heat was more of a factor here, but the run felt great. I didn't notice any "bike fatigue" at the start of the run. Normally, my legs are like Jello for the first 5-10 minutes of a post-bike run. I wonder how much of this had to do with the triathlon frame geometry, which is designed to save your legs for the run. Well, it worked! My run felt nice and easy, granted the pace was slow.
Here is the run data in Garmin Connect: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/373112158
Here is the same data in Strava:
Monday, September 9
My wife went for a run this morning, so I just slept in. At lunch, I went for a short run. It was pretty hot, and the run was a struggle. Not to beat a dead horse, but my legs still felt dead. But, I ran my usual 3.2 mile route with an average pace of about 9:30mm.
Here is the run data in Garmin Connect: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/373112174
Here is the same data in Strava:
Other items
My weight is down to 212 pounds, and the scale says I'm at 18.4% body fat. The few days after the Buckeye Challenge, I ate absolute garbage. By garbage, I mean I would have Chipotle for lunch, and have 6 or 7 Bud Lights after dinner with half a box of Busken smiley face cookies. The next night I would eat the rest of the cookies and finish the 12 pack. A third night I had half a gallon of ice cream and the first half of another 12 pack. Night 4, I finished off the ice cream and beer. So, for 4 days I "partied". I loved it. This was more or less my routine before I started working out two years ago. No wonder I blew up!
Diet is 80% of the weight loss formula. So, no matter how much exercise I do, I try to remember that it's only 20% of the equation. I have to watch my diet or I will gain body fat. It's very simple. If I hit a weight plateau, I'm taking in too many calories. Simple. If you're having trouble losing weight, you're eating too much. If you think you're "dieting" and not seeing any results, you're not "dieting" enough.
I am completely in love with my new bike. I kept it next to my bed for several nights until I rearranged my garage to safely store it. Putting it up on the garage ceiling, it is so light it's easy to lift up. I love it. I haven't weighed it yet, but it's super light. I need more time in the saddle to learn the gearing sweet spots. I also need to get used to being aero all day. I want to get to the point where I can ride in the aero bars for 3-4 hours at a time, as I'd like to do more half Ironman races.
I'm back on my "diet". Oatmeal breakfast, light lunch, and then whatever my wife makes for dinner. If it's unhealthy, I just eat less. I'm at 212 now, and I'm looking to get below 200 pounds by spring.
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