Weapons of Mass Destruction

Isn’t it funny how the people with the most expensive bikes usually tell you in a condescending tone that an expensive top of the range bike does not make a big difference…

I went to Duathlon worlds on a R4000.00 bike that weighed a quarter of my weight. I did the Double Century with a team where I think some of the seat posts/carbon fibre brakes cost more than my bike! But hey I was there and I loved every minute of it and took in the experience… That was a privilege in itself.

Shortly before my Ironman race last year I was able to upgrade to a Cannondale Cad 4. The first cycle that I went on felt like they had taken the hills away from my usual route (Suikerbossie/Chapmans peak). I managed to keep up with the group on the hills where I would usually fall back. I had a very comfortable Ironman cycle and loved the fact that with a little tail wind I was literally blown up hills past some very strong and powerful looking men.

I do no want to be a brat and say “it’s not fair it’s not fair…” As a kid owning a bike alone was a luxury that I could not afford and from that to a R4000 bike is an enormous jump. I cannot be envious of somebody else’s good fortune. I sometimes wonder how many more talented athletes there would be if they could just afford a bike. Triathlon is a very expensive sport and to take part competitively - even as an age grouper is high maintenance!

Today I had the privilege of cycling on a Felt bike. I am currently doing a sales trip and found myself in Port Elizabeth the same week-end as a triathlon. One of my friends very generously offered to loan me her bike.

WOW!!!

I have not been training triathlon specific for the last few months - been taking some time out recovering from an injury and just having some well deserved rest (and a social life). I did Argus and Two Oceans half and the dreaded Xterra “lite” in the past few months.

I felt like a real hacker standing at the start in my Speedo amongst all the wetsuits. My swim position was okay I seemed to be in the middle of the pack after the first lap, only problem is I had to do my 2nd lap and most were doing the sprint. I was quite scared to go in alone with huge waves breaking ahead of me and rather waited for the swimmer behind me. I felt very lonely on the swim it seemed like there was nobody out there.

My bike leg felt amazing…. If I had to put a sound track to my race I would choose Beethoven… not because I was going slowly but rather the amount of effort I needed to put in. I would match the speeds of those just in front of me standing up and grinding away on big gears using so much energy - their sound track would be Metallica the music would play simultaneously and then the heavy metal would quieten as I glided past past the standing cyclist going up hill and continued ahead of them effortlessly on my tri bars the Beethoven sound track would continue as the gap widened!

After doing a few loops in the car park I found my way to transition. My run felt like I had just woken up with fresh legs to do an early morning run…. No heavy feeling from working hard on the bike…. I really FELT amazing! I did a 2.26 and considering my lack of training this year and my tough swim I was very happy with my results.

Thanks Dani for letting me use your sexy baby for the race!!!

This entry was posted on Monday, April 23rd, 2007 at 3:40 pm and is filed under FELT, Nicola Lockhart, bicycle, bike, geometry, triahtlon, triathlon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.