Revenge

Almost exactly eight years ago the Storck threw me over the handlebars, which resulted in a broken collarbone. Five months later it was relegated to trainer-only use.

Today I returned the favor. During a sprint effort it suddenly creaked and went mushy. I spun to a stop only to discover the down tube almost ripped in half.

You break me, I break you.

Who knew that clamping down a hydroformed aluminum frame to a rigid structure and subjecting it to years of repeated stress would result in such a thing?

 

Well, I guess I can strip it down and recycle it. 

 

I have other bikes that have no current purpose, so I pulled down my crit bike and set it up on the trainer for tomorrow. This is an old Trek-Livestrong Development Team Madone I had painted over black because, Lance. It may seem like a horrible waste to stick what once was a very expensive, top-tier bike on a trainer, but stick with me, because there's some poetic symmetry going on here.

 

The last time I rode this bike, in one of the last crits I ever participated in, I fell and injured my hip. I still feel the effects of that fall even today. Maybe I'm looking for a little payback.

 

But let's be honest. I haven't pinned on a bib and lined up in years. If I ever go back, I doubt I will hop into any crits. This Madone was built to be all long, low, and lean, something I haven't been for years. It's not comfortable to ride for more than an hour, and it's not really comfortable to ride during that hour. The whole goal was to be as aerodynamic and efficient as possible for a short duration, then transmit as much force to the pavement as possible when the time came for the sprint. I'm not that guy anymore and I'm not sure I can bend that way. Suffering for the glory of third place in a office park crit just doesn't thrill me these days.

Maybe this bike will last even longer than the Storck did. Maybe not. Maybe I'll post about it if I think about it. Maybe not.