Specialized ERA

Check this out!!! This is a picture of my new Specialized ERA (female version of the Epic)!!! Pretty sweet huh! This photo is from a web search but it's exactly like mine (including the colors).

I pretty much knew that I was going to get a new mountain bike because my Gary Fisher had been beaten into the ground, but I didn't plan on such a fully loaded bike.

Learning to ride a beast like her during a 7 - 8 hour race was probably not the smartest thing I've ever done... This bike is so light that it flies up hills and tossed me over the handlebars on the downhill. Yes..you read it right. I went up and over and I'm REALLY lucky I didn't break my arm. Rick said it looked like I did a cartwheel over the entire bike. I shed a few tear, brushed myself off and went at it again. I fell over, and over and it felt like an entire day of near misses. Not my best race.

Rick's navigation was perfect. I could not ask for anything better. Out of nowhere he would just stop....right next to the checkpoint! I was so impressed and pleased.

Rick also suffered a bad fall and went to the hospital shortly after we got home. He's lucky he didn't break a rib but it's pretty bruised and he can't laugh or take deep breaths...poor guy.

Overall we raced for about 7 hours I think and opted to finish under the short course instead of continue for another few hours. Everyone was packing up to leave and our spirits, or at least mine, was pretty beat up by then. I'm tough, but not that tough!

This week I anticipate some easy workouts to gear up for Soma on Sunday. Geez...I hope after this weekend I'll FINALLY be a triathlete!