May 2002 was my introduction to Cervelo.
While warming up at the National Duathlon Championships in Alpharetta, GA a van cut in a little too close and forced me into a gutter on the side of the road. Losing control, my beloved Kestrel 200 EMS became wedged into the cement drainage ditch and down I went. Jersey ripped, shorts ripped, road rash and blood were the least of my concerns next to the cracking sound I heard my first carbon bike make as it connected with the concrete. As I limped to a nearby Walgreens with my tattered clothes for some bandages and antibiotic ointment, all I really cared about was my potentially a cracked frame and not being able to race the next day!
After a couple of choice words, some tears I'm sure and a long walk back to transition, I went to the All 3 Sports booth to see if there was anything they could do to help my bike... A fellow "Tri Power" athlete friend of mine worked there and told me it didn't look good. Not being sure what to do, then owner and amazing guy, hero of my life Patrick Dowd came to the rescue and changed my stars.
Knowing I was worried he allowed me to borrow his 56cm Cervelo Soloist with Shimano DuraAce. From the moment I saw it, drool started formulating in the back of my mouth. It was beautiful. Red, white and black, clean slick lines. I wouldn't even have to pedal this bike, it was fast all on it's own!
Patrick and I must have been twins separated at birth because I didn't have to adjust a thing and it fit like a glove from the first time my bruised hiney hit the saddle. He went on to tell me about the brand, the waves it had been making over the past few years and how it was making BIG waves this year. Then when I found out we both had Canadian roots, I was in love.
As you may know... it's the day after the wreck when the pain sets in. You're stiff, you're sore, and the last thing you want to do is race. Having lost 12 lbs with this race in mind and flying across the country - I was going to race. The first 10k wasn't my friend. It took me almost 40 minutes and scared the crap out of me when I saw how many women I came into transition with. (Now I'm quite happy to finish 10k in 40 minutes :p).
But once I hit the bike... it was like there was another 5 gears. To this day I still feel that 1:02 or whatever the results posted was one of the fastest 40k TT splits I ever posted.
Since then I've been a huge Cervelo fan. Cheering on the likes of Bobby and Tyler in the tour and the 2004 Olympics was amazing and it's been a blast watching the brand grow and grow.
However a Cervelo Soloist has always been my "Eleanor". As I started to have different sponsorships, the chances of having one be my primary steed grew ever distant. However it is still the first bike I ever truly loved, and I don't know if I've loved another as much since.
And now today is a big day for Cervelo as they announce their sale to PON. (Official announcement here). Since my first ride, I've moved back to Canada and am very proud Cervelo is Canadian, but doubt that will last for much longer.
As shocking as the sale is, we should have felt something was up as Cervelo announced a SALE last week! Cervelo is traditionally 'never' on sale, and now they're offering "Save $2000 on TWO Cervelos". So if anyone wants to go in with me on a double deal... Maybe I can finally get my Eleanor!
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