What do you want from a shakedown ride? Quite roads - check. Not much wind - check. Familiar route to benchmark - check. Dry conditions - check...er hang on.
What was forecast did not occur so half way around a solid 30 miler, the heavens opened and I quickly adjusted the route to avoid as many downhill sections as possible. Getting my gripe out of the way, the brakes are awful in the dry and downright useless in the wet. Truly scary.
Everything else is brilliant, as long as you ride it with the right frame of mind. That is, it's a 90s road bike, using the geometry of the era. That means stretched out, head down, bum up, knees in your chest, ridden on the drops not the hoods. It's twitchy, it's often hair raising, but it's a lot of fun. Climbs are meant to be taken in the saddle, so it's a test of your core engine and leg strength. Cadence is really critical, because as soon as you get out of the saddle with such a forward, narrow lean, you cannot let the bike swing between your legs otherwise you'll be on your arse. In the saddle, the power to tarmac ratio feels 1:1, not a single watt lost.
Pictures weren't my goal, staying upright and giving it some beans when I could were, so a solitary, very damp shot close to HQ.
After a 3 hour ride the day before, my legs were jelly the rest of Sunday. Sign of a good time!
