Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Softride


This bike is a family heirloom. My Dad rode it in his first triathlon. When he upgraded I inherited the Softride. This is funny because my Dad is much taller than I am.

In grad school I took the Softride to my local bike shop and told the guy "I am poor and can not afford to buy a bike. I know this bike does not fit me, but do your best to make it work!" He looked at me as if I was crazy, but fitted me on the bike.

I raced my first 1/2 ironman (Wildflower) on this beauty. I threw the chain off in the first mile and thought I might cry because I did not know how to fix it. I figured it out. Without a meltdown or tears.

Last year Steven raced his first triathlon on the Softride. Coming out of transition he promptly tipped over. Thankfully this was captured on camera. And he is a good sport so we can laugh at him without hurting his feelings. He has since upgraded to a slightly nicer bike.

Currently the Softride resides in our garage, waiting to provide joy to its next rider. Anyone need an amazing "first tri" bike?