Rollin on a new dubs

FINALLY after a good month of waiting I have a new road bike. It showed up at the new shop on Friday and I was not going to go another day without putting it together and riding it. I don't know if it's sad to say but my new bike coming in was probably the highlight of my week up until that point. My choice of bikes has been pretty partial for the last couple of years but that's because Trek is just that good, especially the new Madones. Don't get me wrong I loved my cross bike and would totally recommend buying one for training (especially winter), but my first ride on the new 5.2 Pro Madone was a world of a difference. The amazing smoothness of the ride and the direct transfer of power from the pedals to the wheels was almost disgusting how much of a difference there was from the cross bike to the Madone. I'll ease up on my excitement and talk about the bike before it starts to sound like a Trek commercial. The point is the new Madones are SICK!

The training front has been going well and some definite progress is being seen. Last weekend was our chance to host a collegiate race out in Greenbush. 80 miles of riding with the likes of these guys is tiring but a lot of fun.

This was the last of my base 3 this week and what better way to end a long training block than to put in one last effort in the form of a race. I rode with Brian on Saturday for the weekly breakfast ride for a couple hours in the rain. Funny thing is it ended up being just Brian and myself, everyone else bailed or was busy making cupcakes. Sundays attendance was a little better for the rainy race here in Sheboygan at Evergreen Park. The course is made up of a small section of pavement that loops through the park for about a mile with one steep hill right before the finish. I managed to find a few familiar faces to race with in the 3's which always makes things more interesting. Timmy P. was crushing it as usual and the rest of us attempted to follow for the first half of the race until he and another guy rolled off the front. I had a laps of mental toughness for a lap and found myself off the back pretty far before I knew what really happened. I knew this was unacceptable and proceeded to put my head down and drill it for the next 3 laps until I managed to catch back on. If my memory serves me correctly this is the first time I have been dropped in a race and been able to catch back on, I even surprised myself. The little mental boost I got from catching back on had me ready to keep going and ride off the front but I knew that was not an option. I played my cards smart and sat in for the rest of the race until the last time up the hill for the finish. The new bike worked flawlessly as I hammered on the pedals and clicked through the gears as I hung it all out there to make it over the top first. I created a little separation from the group to make it over the top first to surprise myself twice in one race. The problem was I couldn't really sprint for the last 50 meters due to a loose handlebar. I did keep the gas on and held on for 5th place and my best road finish to date! Perfect ending to this training block and a great way to start a rest week.