[pullquote1]I found my baby…a Raliegh Revieno 3.0.[/pullquote1]
Yup, I made the plunge and have Captial
put my bike on hold. Let me explain how I came to putting this bike in my
repetoire. I started off looking for plush bikes…meaning a bike I could do
endurance rides on but if I want to push for the line it will give me everything
it has (or the little I have to give). So I started reading reviews and checking
all the local bike shops in the area. And boy did I have a list to go on.

I started out with a budget of $2000…I didn’t want to go over that. Then I
wanted to go carbon fiber but that quickly changed. It wasn’t the price, because
there are a ton of bike that are carbon fiber in the $2000 range, it was the
feel. I felt that I would bend those bikes in half when I would throw my leg
over them. I could just read the headlines…”Man stabs groin with top tube of
bike”. Then Evan at Captial suggested going with a higher end aluminum frame
with carbon forks. I like that idea cause I read a great deal about some alloy
bikes that were great for the plush catergory.

So I went home and did more research and found quite a few well within the price
range and bikes that weigh in at 20lbs. Which is great because a 20lbs bike
would shave 11lbs off the current bike I have. So back to trying out bikes. I
whittled down to the three bikes I liked…the Scott Sportster 20, the Trek 2.1
and the Raliegh 3.0.

I got to try a Sportster in San Antonio when we went for vacation. It was
great but I didn’t feel it was right. Then I tried the Trek (hoping I’d feel
like Lance but felt more like Pee Wee Herman). Then I threw my leg over that Raleigh.
Wow!!! The look, the feel, my butt hugging the saddle…I felt I could go 100
mile and still sprint for the finish. It was solid under me and for the price
($1150), the components (shimano 105 groupo), the weight (20lbs)and the patience
of Evan(I came a bunch of times and He still smiled at me), I was sold. Now in
just a few monthes that baby will be mine.

A few blogs back, I mentioned that I call my bike Lucy in honor of my Dad and
this new one will be called the Lucy 2. We all ride for some reason or another,
and I am no exception. My Dad passed away just over 2 years ago from lung cancer
(no he was not a smoker). My Dad adopted me when I was 1 years old and he knew
that I was going to be his only child. My Dad was the strongest toolpusher any
rig has ever seen. When you looked at my dad, you thought he would kick your
butt just for looking at him, but it was farther from the truth.

Now, why do I call my bike Lucy after my dad? My dad looked alot like Kenny
Rodgers (you would swear they were brothers)the same peppery hair and beard,
same height, just a close resemblance. My dad favorite song by Kenny was
“Lucille”…and there you go Lucy.

A few months ago, I was playing with my daughters and I was out of breath so fast,
hell when I would lay down the pressure on my stomach would cause me to
breathe so heavy that you could hear me in the next room. It was then I
remembered my dad in the hospital. There was a night about a week before he died
that I stayed with him over night. It wa horrible to see my dad slowly taken
away by this disease. He was crying saying how he wanted to stay longer to spend
time with his grandkids. That memory stuck with me as I layed there with my
labored breathing. I knew I had to do something and my laziness was not going to
stop me. So I tried different things until I got Lucy…and the rest is history.
I am stronger and I have lost over 30lbs so far and counting. I don’t breath
like I am an elephant and the best thing is that I have my kids wanting to ride
too.

They both have bikes now and I will end with this…Kaelyn, my 5 year old, was
riding her bike in the driveway as I was sitting watching them. She came up to
me and said, “Daddy I think my legs are strong enough now?” I asked her for
what. She said “So I can jump on the trampoline high enough to see Poppy (my
dad) in heaven.” I said yup I think so. Through my tears I heard her saying, “I
see him Daddy! I love you Poppy! I miss you so much!”.

David Richard