Helena

So I realized I needed to work harder on my bicycle because I was going so slow!  My friend Dave said the caliber of bike may help up to 10%, but the caliber of athlete is what is important.  I'd seen him ride circles around our friend with an $800 bike.  I started timing myself and, yea...SLOW!  It couldn't be my bike, it's a fine bike.  I think it retails for about $400.  The kind of bike you can take on land or trails...I was assured when I got it tuned up it was much quicker than a mountain bike would be for my purposes, though I would not be competitive.  I tried timing myself going all out on a short distance.  Hmm...if I did the race at my top sprint speed...it would STILL be a pretty sucky time to spend in the bike section of the tri.  I might be closing down the race after all.  :(  I found myself wishing for the bike I had in the 80's.  I knew my old 10 speed so well.  I could kick my feet up on the handlebars and cruise down the hill where I grew up.  I rode it like it was a car to friends houses on the other side of town and up completely different sets of hills.  I was 98 pounds then.  So was I really longing for my old bike...or my old metabolism?

It kept bugging me. had to find out.  I craigslisted "Schwinn World Tourist" after the name finally dawned on me.  There was my old bike, like three times!  Restoring old Schwinn's is all en vogue right now. If anyone can understand a yen for times gone by, its me.  The only one in my frame size was an even OLDER version.  Maybe as old as my dress styles...I can't know.  All I know is it was cute.  It was mint green. It was my size and it was really far away and like $180.  With the notion that I would resell it again (maybe for half the price) the man delivered me my vintage sweetheart. 

She was really dinged up and rusty, but really sweet and cute.  What was I thinking?  I'm training for a triathlon and bought about a 50 year old bike with fenders and a spiffy little chain guard.  I rode her around the block and couldn't erase my smile.  Interesting...it was a still night, but wind was in my hair the entire time?  Could it REALLY be faster?

The next day I circled my block 23 times to equal the course of the race.  I did this on my other bike, riding as hard as I could and it took 50 minutes...I had to stop for water.  On the vintage Schwinn...

33 MINUTES!!!

So much for a better bike shaving off 10%...a rusty old bike was what I needed and I shaved off...what?  17 minutes???  HOLY CROW!  I THINK that's about 34%  Probably the skinny wheels, or my training kicked in or magic or something.  WOW, what a big difference. While there is NO WAY I can kick my feet up on the handlebars anymore (there is much more of me now), I still found I could ride it between tight spaces and maneuver the bike just as if I were on my old bike from the 80s.  WONDERFUL.  This one has three speeds, which I find perfectly adequate and less confusing.  You might just see me race on this bike, Helena.  Her name came to me on a beautiful ride up in the hills today.  Luckily the bike leg is in the middle, so I wouldn't have to embarrass my family when they see me off or run passed the finish line. 

I'm thinking of painting her white with red and blue racing stripes and naming her Herbie.  :)  Here she is...