Last year I was off the bike for 6 weeks with Bells Palsy. A condition in which a facial nerve swells (normally caused by a virus) and paralyses parts of one side or the other of your face.
I thought coming through the end of September with VeloBirmingham, October with the VO2 Hildenborough sportive and in to November with the start of my swimming lessons going in to 2018 would be fantastic and a great start to my new fitness. In December, I had a few weeks of just cycle commuting and was loving it. On Christmas Eve, I started coming down with a simply cold. Oh no. I struggled through Christmas Day with a migraine, sniffles and a bad sore throat. Boxing Day was even worse, but again, battled through and thought it couldn't get much worse.
I felt awful, awful for the whole twelve days I had off of work. Awful still on News Years Eve, worse on New Years Day after our daughter decided that she would not actually go back to sleep after she woke up at 2am.
It couldn't have got much worse. Yes it could. On Thursday the 12th Jan my bikes freehub disintegrated whilst 10 miles from home. Calling for emergency backup from work colleagues I got back to work and set about researching the freehub and getting a replacement. Probably the hardest Google search I have ever carried out. Nothing, no information on the bike that I had. It would have been a simple fix had the local bike shop I purchased the bike from (less than a year ago) hadn't have closed just before Christmas.
So, next, researching bikes. Giant was an obvious choice. TCR Advanced Pro Disc was top of my list, Defy Advance Pro Disc, second. Giant are one of the only in-house manufacturers of frames and wheels. They rarely purchase components from other factories, making their carbon bikes unique to them.
This thought then went through my mind. If I could afford a TCR or a Defy, I could probably stretch to custom building my own bike. One that I have wanted for a year since I was first introduced to them in March 2017.
VO2 Maximum. The reason I joined was VO2 was the knowledge and commitment that Jimmy showed towards his brand. With three different models available, an Endurance model (Vesp), Race (V:Pro:Carbon) and the Time Trial (Versus TT). Made from Toray carbon with your own mix of components to make each bike truly unique. The best thing is the bike can be custom sprayed for an additional charge.
Going down this route, I could potentially build a bike that I want, cheaper than buying one off the shelf. VO2 list their off the shelf flagship model the V:Pro:Carbon at £3999.
The specifications are as follows.
Shimano Ultegra Di2 - Rim brake
Reynolds Strike SL wheels
Pro Vibe handlebars and stem, Pro Griffon saddle and bar tape
Carbon seat post.
Matte black with white graphics
My requirements
Shimano Ultegra Di2 - Disc brake
CES-Sport 38mm carbon wheels
Fizik finishing kit
Yellow and blue matte finish
Power meter
This bike costs in excess of £5k but this is a once in a lifetime (who am I kidding) purchase.
A bike that I will have to look after and cherish like a child.
There is a downside to custom building - the frame and wheels are six weeks away.
Being sick however, comes at a price far more important than money, the loss of training time. I am still not 100% and feel that I am certainly not well enough to go back to training after the second week of antibiotics, but I could take it steady and not over do it.
As any athlete knows, getting back to training after a holiday is hard enough, but when you have been ill for so long, it makes it even harder to get back in to the training regime. This is when the relief comes that being ill and not having a bike is probably a blessing.
Until next time.
I thought coming through the end of September with VeloBirmingham, October with the VO2 Hildenborough sportive and in to November with the start of my swimming lessons going in to 2018 would be fantastic and a great start to my new fitness. In December, I had a few weeks of just cycle commuting and was loving it. On Christmas Eve, I started coming down with a simply cold. Oh no. I struggled through Christmas Day with a migraine, sniffles and a bad sore throat. Boxing Day was even worse, but again, battled through and thought it couldn't get much worse.
I felt awful, awful for the whole twelve days I had off of work. Awful still on News Years Eve, worse on New Years Day after our daughter decided that she would not actually go back to sleep after she woke up at 2am.
It couldn't have got much worse. Yes it could. On Thursday the 12th Jan my bikes freehub disintegrated whilst 10 miles from home. Calling for emergency backup from work colleagues I got back to work and set about researching the freehub and getting a replacement. Probably the hardest Google search I have ever carried out. Nothing, no information on the bike that I had. It would have been a simple fix had the local bike shop I purchased the bike from (less than a year ago) hadn't have closed just before Christmas.
So, next, researching bikes. Giant was an obvious choice. TCR Advanced Pro Disc was top of my list, Defy Advance Pro Disc, second. Giant are one of the only in-house manufacturers of frames and wheels. They rarely purchase components from other factories, making their carbon bikes unique to them.
This thought then went through my mind. If I could afford a TCR or a Defy, I could probably stretch to custom building my own bike. One that I have wanted for a year since I was first introduced to them in March 2017.
VO2 Maximum. The reason I joined was VO2 was the knowledge and commitment that Jimmy showed towards his brand. With three different models available, an Endurance model (Vesp), Race (V:Pro:Carbon) and the Time Trial (Versus TT). Made from Toray carbon with your own mix of components to make each bike truly unique. The best thing is the bike can be custom sprayed for an additional charge.
Going down this route, I could potentially build a bike that I want, cheaper than buying one off the shelf. VO2 list their off the shelf flagship model the V:Pro:Carbon at £3999.
The specifications are as follows.
Shimano Ultegra Di2 - Rim brake
Reynolds Strike SL wheels
Pro Vibe handlebars and stem, Pro Griffon saddle and bar tape
Carbon seat post.
Matte black with white graphics
 |
| Flagship V:Pro:Carbon |
My requirements
Shimano Ultegra Di2 - Disc brake
CES-Sport 38mm carbon wheels
Fizik finishing kit
Yellow and blue matte finish
Power meter
 |
| Custom frame V:Pro:Carbon |
A bike that I will have to look after and cherish like a child.
There is a downside to custom building - the frame and wheels are six weeks away.
Being sick however, comes at a price far more important than money, the loss of training time. I am still not 100% and feel that I am certainly not well enough to go back to training after the second week of antibiotics, but I could take it steady and not over do it.
As any athlete knows, getting back to training after a holiday is hard enough, but when you have been ill for so long, it makes it even harder to get back in to the training regime. This is when the relief comes that being ill and not having a bike is probably a blessing.
Until next time.
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