My first Giant

Well, Friday I bought my first real road bike. It has a triple crankset, Shimano 105 components, and Look KeO clipless pedals. Wow, the difference between this bike and my Trek 7.2FX is amazing. This bike is light as a feather and just by changing bikes I increased my average cruising speed by about 1.5 mph. Friday I rode about 6 miles just to get a feel for the bike with the new shoes. Saturday, I rode about 13 miles. I rode on a pretty straight stretch that had inclines and declines and even riding back into a pretty strong headwind I average about 14.7 mph. Sunday, I did a 25-mile charity ride for the local ecology center. It was great. I averaged 14.4 mph. Just for reference, in early May, I averaged around 15 mph on my Trek 7.2FX and that was a duathlon relay so I was going all out. We came in second out of five teams, so I was pretty happy with that effort. Hell, I still am and probably will be for a very long time.

In two weeks, I am going to do a 30 mile ride. I think I am in love. Cycling gives me the same feeling I used to get when I was a sprinter in high school. Pretty much it is just me and the clock. It may sound strange but it reminds me of meditation. Another great part of cycling is that when I am riding I calm my thoughts and I think of my mother and that makes me very happy. I remember her cheering for me from the stands when I ran track or when I "played" baseball which consisted of me standing out in right field hitting dandelions with my baseball glove. I know that when I do my duathlon in September mom will be cheering me on from the 'stands'.