The 2013 Race Bike: Ready to let FLY!

After the early morning email I received last week, only two weeks out from the COOLEST race I'll have ever competed in (the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon,) it was an absolute MAD scramble to get a bike together. In selling my 2012 Cervelo P3C only a month ago, and not planning on even NEEDING a TT bike until May, that left me with only three options:

1) Ride my Cervelo S2 road bike;

2) Ride my Chiru mountain bike;

3 Try my damnedest to get my hands on a TT bike in only a week!

The bike fit with Björn; ensuring max aerodynamics AND comfort!

Lots of this coming for 2013

As you can probably imagine, I was heavily favouring option 3 (as Abu Dhabi is a mostly flat course, completely on paved roads, it wouldn't lend much of an advantage over a TT machine.) So, Coach Björn was lucky enough to receive a phone call mere minutes after I woke up, me frantically trying to relay the message that I needed a TT bike in a bad way because I was going to Abu Dhabi, him trying to decipher what the hell this half-asleep asylum-case was trying to relay through the phone. Eventually the message was conveyed, and Björn set out to piece together my 2013 race rig, with the help of MultiSport Science. What he came up with was a magnificent specimen of aerodynamic craftsmanship: the 2013 Teschner 703TT. Weighing in at only 19lbs race-line ready (and with the help of some race wheels, will be even lighter,) it is a thing of beauty.

Pushing hard to break her in

But how does it fit, you ask? After an intensive fitting process with Björn at the shop (he specializes in custom bike fits, just recently working with the most decorated and well-known triathlete in the world, Simon Whitfield, to fit his new Quintana Roo long course TT bike,) I did my first training session on it. 

Perfect.

Ready for battle

It will, of course, take some time to get used to the TT position, as I'm a little out of practice (having ridden a road and mountain bike only since september,) but I'm sure a few "shut-up legs" sessions will have me adapted no problem for the upcoming adventure in Abu Dhabi. I'm excited to get it out on the road and test it out, as it is far more aerodynamic than my ride last year, which should help produce some great results this season.

 If all else fails, I'll most definitely be bringing my spare back-up race bike. You know, just in case. ALWAYS have a plan 'B'.

The Back-up, plan 'B'

Happy training everyone!

Nathan