What goes around comes around; and if you survive it twice maybe some good things will happen.
That last part is my addition - based on the experiences I've had the last few weeks.
After some seriously rough days on the bike, my good friend Kyle (aka Lighty McClimberson) and I are finally cashing in on the good Cycling Karma we had built up.
It started 2 weeks ago, when Lighty heard back from a recent job interview. He had applied to work as a Biomechanist for a little company in Waterloo, WI just getting it's feet wet in the cycling business. You may have heard of them, they're called Trek. They had some good news for him, as in: "Hey, how would you like to come work for us, head up this department, and ride your mountain bike every day at lunch at our private trail on the company premises?" I'm pretty sure his response was: "..........." because he was unconscious.
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| Lighty strikes a mean pose - I think he gives hills the same look before he crushes them |
I take full credit for Trek's newest and greatest biomechanist. I had taken Lighty on his first mountain bike ride three summers ago. I'm pretty sure it was my technique and skills that led him to think "Man, there has to be a better way to do this." Hence, the Bio-position. But as you know from reading the first two parts of the series, we've seen our share of miles together since those first few. I've shared my best and worst days on a bike with this guy, and I wish him all the luck in the world at his new job. He's earned it.
As for me, the past few weeks have been like no other in terms of the amount of cycling good fortune coming my way. Here's the timeline:
Sunday: The Lady (a.k.a. Fast Wife when she's on her bike) and I are driving home after doing some shopping - and by shopping I mean 2 hours of walking around followed by a quick trip to the bike store (my addition) - and we pass my new Mountain Bike team's trailer.
It's hopefully a good sign that our Team Kit is in!:
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| You should be seeing more of these on a podium near you sometime soon! |
Monday: I get the OK from The Lady. I am officially allowed to get a new bike! With some special thanks to Uncle Sam, the good guys at Roll: bikes, and a review by Bicycling that starts like this:
"[these] bikes fill an important need: justifying a bike purchase to a spouse. ("Sure, it was expensive, but it could have been $8,000....")"
That was the icing on the cake - I am now the proud owner of half of this bike:
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| My size is shipping in from Cali! |
Tuesday: I am fast! So fast that small animals are sacrificing themselves at the sight of my speed - meaning I ran over a squirrel. I've heard some stories about the carnage done to these furry little Kamikazes trying to thread the needle between some bladed aero spokes - those stories don't end well for anybody... (There's a nice picture in this Bike Snob post here.)
Which is why I take the gentlemanly gesture of diving under and not through my wheel just to soften my path as such a good omen.
Hope you made it little buddy.
Wednesday: Just another day. I'm in the dungeon (basement office) when I get a message from my team manager: "You need to check your email." Ok....
Click click click - then this subject line:
Fwd: You are the winner in our Orbea contest on Cyclingnews.com
Holy Crap!! A flurry of messages back and forth - me literally running and jumping in the air in my office (it wasn't pretty - I was a mess).
After having just been given the ok and purchasing half of an awesome bike on Monday - here, just two days later I am presented with this:
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| Oh, there's a storm brewing alright... |
I felt like King Arthur having just pulled Excalibur from the stone. Here was something incredible the cycling gods had bestowed upon me (more specifically, my manager and myself - She had won, but I had convinced her to enter the contest - and to build the bike to my specifications, and in my size - an important distinction). The specs on this thing are astounding. If you want to make yourself jealous, just look here.
I had planned to try some road racing in addition to my MTB commitments this season, but now I have to. I have been given the chance at making a real go at cycling. If I try and fail, the fault will lie only with me.
I'd love to hear some other stories of good or bad Cycling Karma. If you've got one send it my way!
And if you see a bluish-black blur woosh past you - it may be me. ETA on the carbon wonder-bike is 2-6wks. See you out there.
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