Lived to Tell...

As someone who had never previously ridden a tri-bike, and with two rides under my belt thus far, I can say with certainty that it is going to take several practice runs before I feel 'natural' riding it. If you haven't seen one of these bikes, imagine a sleek and amazingly light bicycle with very narrow tires and double-stanced handlebars.

I'm not really sure why there are two sets of handlebars, but one set is more what you would consider a 'traditional' cycling set up with bars that curve back toward the rider like the horns of a ram, while the other set sticks straight out in front of you like the horns of an antelope.

As if the 'ramelope' setup weren't complicated enough, they decided to shake things up a bit by putting the brakes on the ram handles, and the gear shifters on the antelope handles. So, at any given moment you're either chugging down the street in the wrong gear, but prepared to stop on a dime - or barrelling down the road at a dizzying speed, with a mild panic that a sudden obstacle could instantly send you airborn.

Now add shoes that literally lock into the pedals (so if you go airborn the bike goes with you or your legs stay behind), and a gear system that has you soaring past 20mph in about 4 pumps... and you can somewhat imagine the mixture of exhilaration and terror I experience each time I get on the bike.

I am absolutely certain that this design is brilliant for an experienced triathlete, and am extremely grateful that I am blessed with such a nice bike for this event, but it's still un-nerving to ride at these speeds while trying to maintain balance between shifting (antelope position) and braking (ram position). If you've never tried adjusting your body position from leaning forward on elbow pads straight out in front of you to sitting upright with your weight resting on your hands, all while speeding ahead at 25mph, you're missing quite an experience. The best word to describe it is 'squirrelly'. I'm sure over time it will become second nature to me, but for now, it's just plain freaky.

Anyway, the good news is I made it through my ride tonight completely unscathed (as did the bike) - and I truthfully can't wait to do it again! By the time the race is here, I'll be riding this crazy beast like a pro! Er... at least let's hope so!