T1 to T2

I'm a little sad.  Seriously.

But happy, too.

I just sold my very first road bike ever....the bike that took me on my first MS 150 tour, which then led to me thinking, "wait a minute...maybe Ironman isn't completely insane..."

And then the bike that got me to the starting line--and the finish line--of my first and only Ironman.

It's WAY too big for me (I know this now--it's a 56cm and I ride a 52 for crying out loud), doesn't fit me at all, and I've been passing it around to friends and throwing it on the trainer here and there.

But it's definitely got a lot of miles in it.  And my friend Laura, who is a tri-studette looking to get back into tris, is also about 5"11'.  It fits her perfectly.

It's time to say goodbye.  But I can't help remembering all the miles.  All the hills.  The falls, the occasional tears.  And sometimes swearing.  Getting lost, getting flats, getting 9 years of memories and stories and miles on that bike.  I bought it when I was just starting out in this sport.  I clipped on my handlebars and clipped in some pedals.  I remember riding it that first summer, thinking, "this is the single best purchase I've ever made," and falling in love (after a few bumps in the road and breakups) with triathlon.

True dat.

I was single.  I was 25 years old. The road ahead of me had a million twists and turns and I didn't even quite know which route I was going to take or which finish line I'd be heading towards.  But I had one badass new bike, and I was ready.

It's got a lot of good karma.  I hope it brings her lots of adventures.