Proof

Here's your proof! raceAthlete shirt and Cycle Ops bibs - out a beautiful Flatwoods park for a windy 50 miler. I'll admit, I intended on going a bit longer than that, but I just recently changed out my front end with a Bontrager 17 degree 120mm stem (my old one was 0 degree, 110mm) and the Ironman extensions (nice internal cables) with the Alumin-x base bar. I drilled out an extra two holes on the base bar to allow for a little bit more internal brake cable run - and the Nokon cables were also a change. If you ever decide to go with Nokon's, make sure you get the extension kit for the brakes. I almost wish I got two - I don't think I have enough left to run the Nokon cables for my Hed 3rd brake.

With all of spacers below the stem, this setup dropped my front end 2 inches - I used to have the stem as low as I could get it. That will take some getting used to. At the beginning of the ride - the first 25 miles or so - it felt great - fast and easy, even with the serious wind that was out there today. By 40 miles, however, I was feeling the different mechanics, and getting achy in my back and quads where it all felt..different.

So, it true Bigun style, I cut the ride short at 50 to make sure I didn't hurt myself and to give me time to get used to the new position. I'll be back at it Thursday - if it feels good, I'll make up the ride and do the whole 80. We'll see. In the meantime, any of you who do NOT have your rA Jersey yet, you can be super jealous of mine until yours arrives. Na na, na na, na.

My initial feelings on the shirt - great shirt! Cool colors, great fit and fabric. I get a little flapping (not the Nytro kind...) when in the aerobars by the fabric in the shoulders around the neck, but you know, I didn't have it zipped up all the way either.

Oh, an in case you were wondering, I left my waterbottles at home this morning, so I had to buy the little Gatorade bottles for the ride. Speaking of water - one thing I still have to figure out is how to mount my aero-drink bottle by profile design. The way this is set up, it's too wide for the bottle mounting kit - I'm probably going to have to tie two short pieces of PVC to the insides of the extensions and mount the kit to that. Hokey, yes, but until this straight-C college average guy figures something else out, that's going to have to be that.

The other people out at the park probably had a laugh at me setting up the camera and taking these weird pictures of myself and my bike. Jees, it' took me 5 minutes just to figure out how to work the timer! And YES, I'm a poser with my Cycle Ops gear and no power meter...Oh yea, and see all that green stuff - the grass and the trees and the leaves - yea, this is Florida, baby...