First Ride of 2009

I can't believe that 2008 has already come and gone. It all seems like a blur now but it has been an exciting and eventful year for me.

Today I finally got to ride my new Carbon Yeti. I hadn't been able to ride it since I brought it home December 23rd. Today seemed like the only window to ride outside for a while so I jumped at the chance. The new bike weighs 22.8# with UST (tubeless) tires & all XTR components! This will be a serious upgrade from my original Yeti 575 which at race weight was ~27#.

It was about 25F when I left the house and snowing very lightly, I could tell that the snow would be flying in earnest in a few hours so my timing was good. With AC-DC's - Hells Bells playing on the Ipod in the background, it was a fitting maiden voyage for my new race rig.

My legs felt heavy from my first 4 days of telemark skiing this season but I was stoked to be on the bike. The similarities are many between the 2005 - 575 Yeti and the new 2008 Yeti ASR Carbon. They fit the same but that is where the similarities end. The Carbon rig handles far better than the 575, it turns tighter, is extreemly stiff laterally and compliant up and down. There is a steering geometry difference that seems to inspire my confidence on the downhills and turns... I'm hopeful of seeing if that pans out in the real world.

The trail close to the house is in great shape with a bit of ice & snow on it in the shady spots. Now with Joe Satriani in the background I was inspired to kick up my pace and see what the bike would do... I am nothing short of astounded with the ride and how light it is. I will have no excuses during my next race(s), it is now all about the engine and I've got a bunch of work to do!

Despite my wanting to go for much longer my hands are cold and I can tell that the snow will start at any time. I had met another rider on my way over, we didn't speak just nodded and grinned at each other, I'm sure that we had the same thoughts... what a great day for a ride!! We meet again on my way back and offer a similar acknowledgement, though my grin was now about the size of Texas.

One last burst of speed, a few undulating pseudo jumps I am able to log some flight time. The Eagles were belting out their classic 'Take it to the Limit' tune just as I entered the jump section... how cool was that?

At the end of the dirt trail and back onto the pavement the snow has now started to come down steadily and is sticking to the road which is now completely white. While I'm glad to be home to warm up my hands I hate to hang the bike up to wait for more favorable weather.

I'm convinced that I've made the right decision to buy this bike, it was a hugh financial commitment but should allow me to go to the next level in my racing pursuits!