That is what I felt like…a king in his kingdom! Let me explain…I picked up my new baby on Friday! That is right the fat man is on the road with a true road bike. She is a beauty too. The reason behind the whole king and kingdom statement is because that is the way the people at Capitol Cyclery made me feel.
I set up the appointment with Evan to come in and pick up Lucy and get fitted. It was all set for Friday. I know what you are all thinking…he was there when they opened. No I wasn’t …I was there three minutes after they opened. When I got there I was greeted with my usual…”Hey Mr. Richard”. I absolutely love that they know me by name and are always there to answer my questions, no matter how goofy the question is. When I got to the counter, Evan had everything set up and ready for me to make my final payment and Sarah (I think she has to be the happiest lady on the planet…she is always bouncing around with a smile on her face) went got my girl.
When I tell you I was treated like royalty, I felt like I was the most important person there. Now you may be thinking that it is because I was buy a new road bike. Trust me, the bike I bought is not one of the high-end bikes, it is closer to the entry level. Still they made it like I was buying one of the $10,000 bikes.
The bike fit process was awesome. They did not rush any of it, made sure that my seat was correct, my stem and saddle was adjusted properly, and when I was having trouble with the shifting, it was like I had my own personal mechanic right there…I didn’t even have to get off my bike. This guy (and you can recognize him…he is the one with the Tom Selleck Mustache) knew exactly how to fix everything and showed me things with my shifters I did not know anything about.
As I sat there waiting for them to finish putting the final touches to my baby, Mrs. Lisa comes out and talks with me. Now I will tell you, if I felt like a king in this kingdom, Mrs. Lisa is definitely the Queen in her kingdom. She walks out and you know that she is the one running the show. Unlike most Queens, she is so wonderful to talk too. (Not like I have meet many queens in my time…may be a few drag queens but…) A friend of mine came over to the shop to pick himself up some supplies and Mrs. Lisa walked us around and made us feel like there was nothing more important than making sure we were happy and that we got everything we needed.
These guys and gals at Capitol went the extra mile…they even replaced the silver cable ends with green ones to match the color scheme of my bike. That may seem small, and it is, but that is service when the small stuff doesn’t go untouched.
Now to other matters…the fat man is going into training for the Rouge Roubaix. I am going to train over the winter and into spring for this wonderful (and completely grueling) race. There are a lot of things that need to happen. First is get my weight down. As of right now, I am 226 lbs and 30 BMI (according to the WII Fit plus). I would like to be down to 190 lbs and into a large/med kit. Next is getting use to riding in a paceline with much stronger riders. That will happen with my Thursday and Saturday rides with the group at work and the race team. Then when I feel confident enough I will ask to join the team. Finally, it is getting us to the torture of training on an indoor trainer.
I am telling this all of you to keep me accountable…I figured the way cyclist are they would not let it down if I drop off my goal…we are a sadistic bunch.
Monthly Archives: October 2011
Giddy like a school girl
I know I will get some slack for this title but I think that is the only expression I can come up with for how I feel. In one week, Oct 21st, I will be celebrating my birthday (26th) by purchasing my first true road bike. Yes you have read that correctly, your friendly fat man will be joining the ranks of roadies everywhere.
If you have not read it before, I will be getting the Raliegh Revenio 3.0. She is a beauty…black with green accents and green tires…sporting the full Shimano 105 groupo compact…and…That is where all my money and research is going.
You see you don’t just buy a bike, you have to buy the accessories. You have bike computers, but not just a simple computer…you have to get the wireless heart rate/cadence/GPS/power meter/LT sensor/order take out/burgaler alarm/second wife because of the price computer. Then you need a saddle bag, but how big??? Do you go really huge like saddle bags on a Harley or do you go so small that all you have is room for a quarter to call someone who cares (wait that is what the computer is for)? Then you need to get a new pump because you have one at home but it is a Shearder valve and not a Presta valve style. Then you need to get an indoor trainer because it is coming time where the days are getting shorter, but what type, do I go turbo or roller type? Then each one of those have so many sub catergories that it would make a grad from MIT wonder what he is doing. Then you have tubes, cleaners, work stands, shoes, kits, pedals and cleats and…it goes on and on!
Makes me wonder why I am giddy…oh yeah I know…I love this stuff! When everything is bought and done…It is just you and the road, the wind in your face and the burn of pushing yourself to the point of insanity…It is pure giddiness!!
Ps. It is getting dark out there a lot earlier. Lately, there has been a few fatalities and we should remember those who have lost thier lives doing what they love doing and that is riding. Let’s be safe…get some lights if you are out pass dusk (great something else to buy)!
We don’t die…We Multiply!!!
I know it has been a while since I sent out a blog, but Ihave been very busy. I first want to thank everyone who prayed for me to get a
new job. I can say I am working making more then I have ever before. Honestly,it really isn’t the money that makes this job great (it sure doesn’t hurt though), it is the fact that I am surrounded by cyclist. From my chair in my
office, I can throw a helmet and hit three cyclist. These three guys have become my go to bike guys. We really talk about everything bike-wise.
Let me start off with the old guy of the group, the Machine. I call him that not just because of the way he rides(really have not seen him
ride yet) but because he is like a computer full of bike knowledge. He can spit out data faster than Thor Hushvod changes teams. He can tell you what cassette and chainring combo you need for any situation. The only thing wrong with the
guy is that he is bone rail thin. He makes a fat guy like me look huge!!!
Next is the first guy I meet at my first group ride, the Beast. This guy has gone from 315lbs down to a strong 205lbs. This man’s legs
look like something out of a science project. He just did a ride in Arkansas and the picture that was taken of him was him smiling at the finish line after a 104 mile ride in the hill country. This boy is not right in the head. That is why we get along so well.
[pullquote1]Next is the Hammer! Not because of the way he rides, or works, or plays…it is just because every group needs one guy named the Hammer.[/pullquote1]
It is biking’s unwritten law. You can not have a group of guys ride bikes and not have a Hammer in the group. The Hammer is a lot like me. Not so much on the small side, not the fastest on the bike, but we will not give up. This is the guy who I am joining forces with to petition the US Cycling for a Cat 6 or 7. Maybe we can get a time trial from our car to our lazy boy…I would beat everyone!!!
I mention these men because it seems that now I have become a “cyclist”…They are cyclist everywhere. Just last month I took my
Mom to her doctor appointment and the doctor rides for the St. Landry parish group. Just at the facility I work at, we have about 100 employees there and I know of 10 that ride. (and that number is growing)
I think I will call our group the “Schlumberger Blue Crew”. Our chant will be “The Schlumberger Blue is coming foryou…We don’t die, we multiply”
Happy riding people!