Ride Me Fast and Hard

That is what she kept telling me today on her first ride. Who is that, you might ask? Her name is Indy and she is my Specialized S-Works Era. Man, oh, man, she is quick! She is like a cheetah, lightweight and small, but she packs a punch. She accelerates fast and can turn on a dime.

Torque the cranks and all that energy goes straight to the rear wheel; "Bob" is not on this bike! The shock is only squishy when you want it to be. The fork compresses a bit when I stand and hammer, but I am still dialing it in. However, steering is precise. Just point her where you want to go and she does, even over the most punishing terrain.

And she can climb! I was not sure if I would be able to tell a 2 pound difference, but believe me, I could. This week has been a hard training week for me and on today's climbs I was happy to be riding Indy vs. Crash (24.5 pounds).

She is hot-blooded! On today's descent of ThunderRock, she called me a Cat 2 rider and told me to get my flippin' hands off the brakes. And on one of the first climbs, she asked if I was still self-coached, because I was pedalling like an overtrained, burnt out racer. I hastily reminded her that I was at the end of a hard week and that my Coach would not appreciate her comments. I also told her that I had not yet decided who was getting the call-up for TransRockies and that she had better be on her best behavior. (Shhh ... don't say anything, but Indy IS going to Canada ... she is freakin' awesome!)

The second half of the 4 hour ride was definitely better as we began to bond. I was feeling her flow and together we rocked the singletrack! Poor Zeke. He was "pooped after Indy and I drug him all over the Cohutta's. I cannot wait until this Wednesday when I can ride her again.

Now, it seems, I have no excuse not to win. I have a wonderful family, an awesome training partner, a great Coach, and an amazing bike. No, wait ... I have one excuse left. I am about to turn 40!!!!