Sitting in front of me is a bike more valuable than my first two cars combined, and that weighs less than my first laptop.
It was back in March that I learned I was a winner. Well... Not me in particular, my friend/manager Krista who I had persuaded to enter Orbea's MyO contest. Basically, the contest was to build your dream bike and submit it to Orbea - then they would pick one winner and build the bike. (See "Wednesday" here)
Unfortunately, the 2-6 week delivery timeline stretched to 16 weeks (but who's counting) and near the end I was dreading getting a "Your bike is being held by an African Prince for shipping, we only need a security deposit or major credit card number...." email.
But one Friday, the wait would be over. An email to the bike shop building my dreams led to some good news: Not only had the bike finally arrived stateside, it was at their shop - and more - it was ready to be picked up! Krista and I left work for a late "Lunch" and headed to Westerville.
With my heart-rate in the low hundreds, we walked in the door - and there it was. After months of looking at pictures online - and taking spyshots of its twin (in the pits of a Motorcycle racetrack of all places) - there it was, in the carbon flesh that covers every inch of its angular body.
I walked up to touch it, still in awe and not ready to accept that this could be mine. The shop owner, Mason, finished trimming the steer tube and passed the bike onto me - the first time to feel the incredible lightness - I stood there taking in the purposefulness of every detail.
We headed out the door, bike in hand, and with my mind adrift on mountain passes.
I rode it the next day - just over 80 miles. I climbed the biggest hill I know of (in Columbus) in the big ring, out of breath but smiling at the top. I've been up that hill a few times now, and every time I mash the pedals and feel the bike surge skyward, I smile. Then gasp for breath...
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| http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/53886122 |
I named her "Amante," a reference to her Spanish heritage. Roughly translated, it means "The Other Lady" (don't tell Fast Wife). I try to picture the Basque country, her homeland, when I'm on my trainer...
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| I'm sure the cool mountain breezes feel almost like the humid stale air the oscillating fan blows in my face in the small, windowless yoga room in my apartment complex |
It's hard to adequately describe how incredible this bike is - Sammy Sanchez rode an Orbea Orca to Polka Dot Jersey fame in the TDF this year - my Orca is a pound lighter than his (Shhhh! Don't tell the UCI!). The wheels, Mavic R-Sys SL's, are some of the lightest clinchers ever made (fully carbon spokes!).
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| Carbon spokes and hubs |
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| Making mountains look smaller since 2010 |
The Campy Super Record groupset is the lightest currently "available" in the world. It's spoken of in hushed tones and is about as available as any other Italian supermodel. The red "11" highlights pop against the shimmering black structural carbon, which is polished to a high shine - mostly from me continuously wiping off my drool. Here are some of the highlights:
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| And.... |
Due to a little mix up, I ended up with (only) a Dura-Ace crank mated to my otherwise Campy drivetrain. (the initial image that loaded in the MyO software for the Campy groupset rendered a Dura-Ace Crank) But as long as there were no issues with the super-skinny 11 speed chain, I'm not about to complain.
The saddle is a Selle Italia SLR with a monolink rail (yep - full carbon). As far as I can tell it's made of extremely lightweight butter - the top of the saddle is smooth and easy to reposition yourself on, the middle has a bit of give, and there is plenty of support where there needs to be.
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| Light, aero, flexy fast |
It is a pro-tour machine, a bike fit for the best in the world. And that is my curse. I will spend this winter spinning, working, training, so that I can ride and race this bike - not like someone with a big wallet and a carbon fetish, but as someone who has the miles in their legs to earn some seat time on a bike of this caliber.
