I have always enjoyed being on a bike as evidenced in this undated photo many years ago. The sheer joy of being out in the open air, enjoying the sites, sounds and smell of nature has always been fun for me even now at the advanced age of 51. My earliest recollection of a long bike ride was when I was 12 or 13 I rode my bike from Fitchburg to Townsend, MA and back. That seemed like a long way back then. Then when I was in High School I rode with Peter Bergeron, a great Fitchburg High School athlete on a 4 day tour from Fitchburg to the very end of Cape Cod and back. That was quite a ride back then. Over the years I have had quite a few bikes; Schwinn, Huffy, Motobecane, Centurion, Diamondback, and Cannondale. My current inventory is down to three; a Fuji, a Cervelo One Triahlon Bike and my Trek Madone.
The basics of a bike have not changed much, two wheels, frame, pedals, brakes, handlebars, seat and chain. While the concept is the same the technology sure has changed a lot. I just dropped my 2010 Carbon Fiber Trek Madone 5.5 that I purchased from Gerry Hovagimian at Trek Stop in North Grafton. A great bike shop with great customer service and support. After over 3000 training miles it was time to get an complete overhaul and some component upgrades and have the bike ready to ship to California for the start of the ride.
The major upgrade I am getting is a new SRAM Force WiFLi Rear Derailleur with a SRAM PG 1070 11-32 Cassette and SRAM RED Crankset. This new gearing will help me with some of the most difficult mountain passes out west and hopefully not leaving me looking for just one more gear.
Gerry is also changing out the chain, brake pads, handlebar tape and all cables. When I pick the bike up on tuesday, I will be literally picking up a new bike. Can't wait to ride my new bike.
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