New Member, New Scale

[28ten]

Thanks for the advice Adrian. Scenery wise, I will do something but not too over the top. Probably card structures, balasting or paving track, a few clumps of vegetation. Just enough so it doesn't look like track on plank.

Regarding my pic, it's my old TT bike - a Cervelo P3. I had a P2 for training too. Absolutely loved those bikes! They were the aluminium ones, not carbon but they both had carbon wheels, carbon aerobars and full Dura Ace. Those days are over now and I trundle around on a mountain bike. Still really miss building bikes and thought a out opening a shop a couple years ago.

I remember spinergy wheels from the 90's, lethal in the bunch when somebody stacks it up I take it you were a tester then?

 

[SteveO]

My God, they were lethal in a crash, or even under strain. A racing buddy destroyed his face – I mean destroyed! While sprinting for the line a spoke shattered, which caused the collapse of the whole front wheel. Before medics arrived he had lost 2 pints. He was lucky it was an organised event for personnel to be on hand. I sold mine after that and got 404s for the P3 and 202s for the P2.
P3 in racing trim:

P2 in Crit/winter trim:

It was a much smaller frame and really tight which made you very compact and aero for those winter winds! When racing season started it made my P3 feel like a limousine having all that space to lay out!

I was just an ordinary club rider with a fetish for bikes. I competed in a couple comps but I preferred racing against my clock than everyone else's so I stopped official competitions and just rode for fun – or beating the times I set myself.

 

[28ten]

Well they were just strips of sheets of carbon fibre for the spokes The P3 must be damn uncomfortable looking at those angles, I always preferred a more laid back angle even on a TT bike. Late 90's I was riding Bianchi/Record, IIRC 404's or carbon Cosmics and a Zipp disc for TT.

 

[SteveO]

I'll tell you what Guv, after riding that P2 for a few months the P3 was like lying on a sun lounger! Plus I love being right on the nose of the seat to get as much out of each stroke as possible. You can see how far forward my seats are! I was disqualified for one race for only having 4cm between my BB and seat nose.

Do you still ride competitively?

 

[28ten]

I'll tell you what Guv, after riding that P2 for a few months the P3 was like lying on a sun lounger! Plus I love being right on the nose of the seat to get as much out of each stroke as possible. You can see how far forward my seats are! I was disqualified for one race for only having 4cm between my BB and seat nose.

Do you still ride competitively?

No, kids and old age I spent 25 years going half way round the country and bits of Europe racing, tbh the motivation starts to go, its not so much the racing as the amount of training various injuries and these days the cost of travel and kit. I try and about 6 hrs a week which is really ticking over, do you manage much?

 

[SteveO]

No, not for quite a while. I moved to London and gave up racing. I kept hold of the bikes for a while and even used the P2 for a bit of commuting but I sold them both about 4 years ago. The P3 went to a wealthy businessman who took it to Dubai and the P2 went to an amateur Tri rider just outside of London. We've now moved to the south coast and I wish I kept them. Lovely riding on the Downs. I agree, the training is soul sapping work.

I built a mountain bike after that and used it for work. Now I use it to ferry the littleman about on sunny days when I can 'persuade' him to put his helmet on!

Anyway, this reminiscing is bringing back too many carefree memories! Which, in your great wisdom, is the best trackplan to follow? And what one change would you make to one of them better?