Ciao, Bella!: The Journey to a Cervelo

I have been in envy of Cervelo tri bikes (well, let's be honest, tri bikes in general, but especially Cervelos) since I started tris a couple of years ago. I couldn't justify buying one at first, though, because I had just started the sport and I had no idea if I would even like it. I was also living in DC at the time, and the high cost of living there meant buying something that expensive was pretty much off the table.

Way back in the fall of 2011, I had finished my first marathon, but I knew that marathons were not really my 'thing.' I had also always wanted to do triathlons because of my background in swimming. I signed up for DC Tri Club New Triathlete program and bought my first ever road bike. I grew up in Colorado, where riding bikes was practically mandatory, but I had always ridden mountain bikes and/or hybrids... even when I did a 90 mile ride when I was 14. Yes, really.

Basically, had no idea what I was doing when I bought it. I thought you called cleats "clip ons," for example. I probably should have waited to get a bike until I had my Tri Club mentor to help me, but I did do some research first. I knew I wanted a road bike with an aluminum frame, not steel or carbon, and preferably with Shimano 105 components so that I could use it for several years without the components crapping out on me.

The biggest problem with cyclists,(bike shops for that matter) is that they are snobs. I'm sorry, but they are. I obviously had no idea what I needed in a bike, other than a few very basic things, but I really didn't want to buy something over $1500 total (including pedals and saddle). I must have gone to half a dozen shops looking for a bike, and each of them tried to upsell me. Looking back, I kind of wish I had gotten the Fuji carbon road bike with Ultegra components that was about $1700, because it might have gotten me further. At the time I couldn't really spend that much and I didn't really need that bike. I finally went to the Bike Rack in Dupont, and the guys there were really nice about the fact that I had no idea what I was doing. I ended up on an aluminum Giant Avail but no bike fit whatsoever, and I named her Ariana-- Ari for short.

I still remember going out for rides for the first time on Ari and thinking that it felt unbelievably fast. The first times I went out on Hain's Point with other triathletes, though, I started seeing Cervelos and tri bikes everywhere. My friend Jule even let me try her P3 out at one point, and I was in love.

I completed my first half Ironman on Ari, which wasn't that bad; I still averaged about 19 mph. Not long after that, I signed up for Ironman CA, and I knew I was going to need a tri bike sooner or later. During that winter when I was struggling with whether or not to do Ironman, I looked for used bikes. There were a couple that would have been passable, but I ended up deciding to take a break from tris before I bought one.

This spring, as you know, I decided to start training again. Once I had been on my first group ride with my brand new team, I talked to Coach Kathy about finding a tri bike, and she told me to get a frame finder fit from the Denver Fit Loft. I decided to do it despite the $250 price tag (and that's with my Tribella discount), and it's worth every penny. During the three hour long fit, Daniel did some pretty high tech analysis including seeing how I ride with sensors and lots of other cool stuff. Basically the point was to see what kind of frame would fit me best, and it turns out that Cervelo P2s are one of the best ones for me. Go figure.

I was planning on going out and looking for a used frame, but there was a P2 right there in the shop, brand new, and so shiny and pretty. "I'll just try it out," I said. Big mistake. Daniel set it up to fit me correctly, and I was off. It was an absolute dream, and I was in love right away.  I knew that the Tribella discount would take off quite a lot of the price tag, not to mention the fact that I was getting half of the bike for a birthday present-- so out of pocket, I would only be paying my original budget for the frame. I got back from the test ride, and I couldn't stand to part with the P2. I decided to buy her right there.

And let me tell you, she rides like a dream. It turns out aero position feels like it was made for me. I love riding now, when I used to hate it. I feel so much faster-- well, I am faster, actually. I've been able to keep up more on group rides and I have been able to ride harder and longer.

So that's my story. I am still a noob in relative bike terms, but I'm getting there. I am definitely excited to get into the saddle now, as opposed to dreading it like I used to. Here's a pic of Bella, my new best friend.