Introduction

How did it all begin?

It started in the spring of 2006. I had always been active growing up but 1 year after graduating college and getting married soon after, I found myself sinking into the lethargy of 'mature' adult life. Lifting weights wasn't keeping the weight off and inter mural sports at work mixed with my hyper-competitive personality was threatening to derail my career aspirations.

My athletic tailspin righted itself thanks to a coworker named Frankie B. Frankie is an avid cyclist who loves both the smooth speed of the road and the fat knobby trail time. Hanging out in his cubicle one day he ignited my old memories of riding around the neighborhood with friends on mountain bikes that were to big for us. My curiosity was peaked.

After months of agonizing and hours of internet research (perusing photos and catalogs of shiny bikes) wondering if this was really me, I bit the bullet and purchased my first bike in the spring of 2006. It was a black Cannondale F400. While it was entry level it was more than I had ever owned before and I began riding it on local easy trails every weekend. This was the first riding I had done since before I had a car. I still didn't want anything to do with those "Lycra wearing roadies".

That fall Frankie invited me to come spectate at a local Crit. I went out and watched as the riders wove around a course in a church parking lot. It was the first time I had ever been around a road bike and there was something very sexy about a road bike. It was light, agile, and screamed "faster, faster..." The competitive side of me believed I could beat these guys so I started looking into road bikes. After much research I found a new Cannondale CAAD8 frame and proceeded to build up my first road bike. Here it is in its original form. So raw, so new, so alluring.

I bought my first pair of cycling shorts and was introduced to my first chamois. For you non-cyclist out there the chamois is the pad in the cycling shorts that is most "intimate" for a cyclist and invokes strong opinions and loyalty among riders when the perfect fit is discovered. Now I have hours of chamois time and much prefer the miles passed under the pedal. Thus begins the "Chamois Chronicles"