Many times as this blog continues, Trisha will be at the forefront (so get used to it). With good reason; she is my source of, well, everything! When I think of the general courage and determination that she has for everything she does it can’t help but inspire to try big things. She supports me and with that I can do anything, which is good because RAAM will be brutal.
Trisha has two bikes that she rides (soon to be three). One is a big Schwinn cruiser with mustache handle bars and big 700x32 tires, add in a suspension fork and seat post that this thing defines cruiser. It is her bike to keep up with the kids when they want to go off the beaten path, when we are biking down the Hiawatha trail. At over 35 pounds it rides like a Cadillac, but it’s not fast.
Enter the road bike. I built up an aluminum DBR frame with a carbon fork and Campagnolo Mirage components and mid-line FSA rims. Because of the small frame the bike comes in between 17-18 pounds. To accommodate her style of riding I converted it to a high rise stem and flat bar set up. This gives her a good position on the bike and allows her to develop power naturally. She easily holds 15 mph or better on flat surfaces.
Her third bike isn’t built yet. That is the semi-recumbent tandem. This will be a fantastic bike for us when I am out doing longer rides. It will allow us to share the work and provide us positions that work to our body strengths and well as allowing for conversation and “together” time.
So outside of having a clear understanding of the dedication it will take to get to RAAM and the time involved and supporting me she is also determined to help me with the logistics and planning of the next few years. Everything from making sure that I can attend information meetings (and finding them) to making this blog functional and readable. She will eventually develop the website that will be used and begin creating the lists of things that need to be done each step of the way. It is all of this that makes it possible for me to concentrate on training; on getting to the next step.
I will say it here and know that I will say it again over and over and over. Thank you Trisha! Oh because I need to get a head start on it, “You were right”.
I seem to want to turn every comment into a dirty innuendo so let's start off right with "thanks for accomodating me".
ReplyDeleteIt's far easier to come up with snappy inuendos (or clumsy ones) than it is to reply to compliments and the like. But you know all of that. I love you. I want you to succeed at whatever your zany brain thinks up... and hey... I'll trade you! The RAAM for naming the baby Skye if we have a girl!
(Don't answer that.)