Kona Concluded

What a tale of real life racing. Andrew Strong pushes it all year long. Making the most of each workout in order to balance training, recovery, work and most of all family. So of course his family was in Kona with him and he was able to make it a bit of a vaca post Ironman Kona by staying in Hawaii for some family time. He killed Canada (where he got 3rd in his AG earning his Kona slot) with a sub 10 and had goals to shoot for a 9:40 at Kona. Tuned up and ready to go leading up to it, less than 24hours to GO TIME, I get a phone call from Andrew at the expo buying me a jersey for the shop and I hear the scratch in his voice. NOT GOOD! Of course we talked about how he is not feeling that great and is worried about starting in the morning with not feeling 100%. So what was the call??? In true Shama Cycles fashion he started the swim, made it through in a decent time for him but was behind last years time. Then I followed the bike and realized he was not having his best day. Ahhhh....it was painful to watch online and I know Andrew was pushing through even harder. Of course with dragging the family to Kona and the long training weekends and sacrifice he had no other option than to finish. That same drive and toughness that gave him a PR earlier this year carried him to the finish line to have his wife and two kids greet him...finishing the race and beginning his vacation and off season. Was his 10:40 what he wanted? No...but then again we all have those races...well not all of us can do a 10:40 on our best day but you get what I am saying. That is part of what makes those great days so great...knowing that you avoided a bad day. Next season...will only be better.
Thank you Andrew for your support and race ethic. You inspire us all.

Ironman Hawaii here we come!

Andrew out on one of his many long training rides
the simple machine...titanium...though he will be using HED Jet 6 wheels come race day

I think the pinnacle of any triathlete is to be able to race in Kona....the Super Bowl of Ironman. Better yet is to be able to qualify. Andrew Strong did just that on his Guru Merus by coming in 3rd in his Age Group at Ironman Canada with a 9:55!!! In preparation for Kona I spent some time with him to help make sure he is as ready as he can be. I am not scared to bend the rules, go against convention, make waves, set my own trends. Today was no exception, today we Retul fitted Andrew Strong for his Lazer Tardiz helmet in conjunction with wind tunnel testing. Yes...Shama Cycles has our wind tunnel. Ok, not like at Texas A&M but I have a fan and a smoke machine...what ever its the same thing! With the careful supervision of our local Pro/Coach Trent Stephens (Trent held the smoke machine in front of the carefully placed fan) it was determined that Andrew was actually more aero having the helmet on backwards....which means that Lazer designed it wrong. Don't worry, my daughter is writing them a letter with hand drawn graphs proving our theory. We did test the Giro Advantage 2 helmet, but because I don't sell Giro it was determined after extensive testing that it was in no way aero dynamic at all. There is a video and pictures of our testing procedure but of course that is top secret and just can't be shared...unless you spend $10,000 on a new Guru from me. Just saying...
Finally you will notice in the pic the Shama Cycles Wind Vest over his Ironman Canada finishers tshirt. We choose that tshirt for two reasons. One we are hoping that by wearing an official Ironman tshirt that the officials won't penalize him for drafting on the bike. Reason number two is cotton can retain more water than a tech tee, we are hoping that the cotton tshirt will make for a good base layer to hold in the sweat to help cool him down and the wind vest will protect him from the vicious cross winds on the bike course. Wind vests protect us from the wind right??? Personally I think these changes will be the secret to his sub 9 hour Ironman. I mean we already made him faster with his Guru Merus over his old Cervelo P3C. Why not keep going with what sounds crazy and make him even faster!

Next Saturday on the 1oth follow him on his quest to his best Ironman yet. I pray he has his best day. Good luck and God's speed Andrew!

Guru vs Cervelo update (spolier, Guru won!)

Andrew pre race at a local Starbucks. Gotta love it!

Several months back a posted about a project to get an already fast guy faster. From a Cervelo to a Guru to prove that custom/fitting is more important than shear aerodynamics. Yes I threw down the gauntlet and staked my business and reputation on the line.
Ironman is the distance that defines triathlon. Being in the game for a while I have had the privilege of meeting so many great people in this sport and even the honor of working with them...slow or fast...racer or rec rider, I appreciate everyone that trusts me with their hobby/addiction.
One such relationship I have had the honor to have is with my friend Andrew Strong, first of all this is one of the most honorable guys I know...but also one of the fastest. We all like riding with him...but hate it when he gets to the front cause you know its on...for longer than what you would want. Andrew in his first year of triathlon did 3 Ironmans. (sick I know) His first, he was hooked, his second he got a roll down slot to Kona and of course had to go. The next year he raced again and again got a roll down to Kona. This was all done on a Cervelo P3C that was even fitted in the wind tunnel by John Cobb himself. The guy was fast...but we wanted to be faster. So with much thought and due diligence Andrew, myself, and Robert at Guru came up with a frame that we thought would do the trick. We decided on a Guru Merus, a titanium rig for several reasons. One, Andrew is HARD on this gear, he is a busy guy trying to maintain a family along with a career and train for Ironman. When he is done with a ride he throws his bike in the back of his FJ and takes off to the next part of his day. Also with traveling to races he just doesn't want to have to worry about the frame. Titanium frames are indestructible and love abuse. Plus Guru is able to fine tune the ride of the frame for each rider through proper tube selection. We built the bike and as all the custom frames I sell the fit was pretty easy. We tweaked a little since and got it dialed in. The first test was Ironman Brazil earlier this year. At mile 70 Andrew wrecked in a turn around with a bagel in his hand and had to stop for about 15 minutes to get med check. Still he finished the bike but on the run he called it quits after a couple yards in a smart move to error on the side of caution and wait to race another day...
"another day" became Ironman Canada. A very hard course and while I have all the faith in the world in Andrew and his ability I was a little worried since, one I had not ridden with him as often as before to witness his power or heard many reports from Trent about their epic 3 jogs through Houston at 6 minute miles with surge after surge. Andrew made a big change professionally that while good for him, at first glance it didn't seem good for training at all. All you can do is what ever we have time for and hope its enough.
Race day came and he said he was ready so all I could do is log onto Ironman Live and update all day looking for splits. Swimming has been he weak spot in the past and things started off well with a 5 min pr (1:15ish) for the swim. Wow...he actually got in the pool a couple times since Brazil. Then the bike...following those updates were the best and worse. I was so happy to see the good times but stressed between each one hoping that what we did was correct...and also fighting my worse fear....that the bike I just built doesn't fall apart. Most people might wake up at night in a cold sweat thinking what if they lost their job, if their 401K dropped to nothing...I worry about client's fits. Did you see when Macca pulled out of a race due to busted rear derailleur cable or when Fabian Cancellara pulled out of Paris Roubiax due to a busted chain? Oh man...to be that mechanic to last touch that bike...talk about a bad day at the office. It drives me to pay attention to every detail of every bike I build and fit. Just my little quark on race day. haha So the bike was fast...really fast. 5:09:09 bike split, the fastest in his AG. Then his run...was sick. Good enough to get him into a sub 10. 9:55:44 which of course was a PR in every way. Third in his AG and 58th OVERALL!!!! A-FREAKIN-MAZING!!!! What a killer performance! Of course we were all happy for him, again, I got a text the next day talking about how great the bike was and what an amazing day he had. Also text messages asking when I am flying into Hawaii in October to support him there. I gotta go...just after I sell enough bikes to pay for it.
I LOVE MY JOB!!!!

Thank you Andrew for all your hard work, dedication, and your trust in me and the bike I built for you...you make me very proud!

testing is subjective...RESULTS don't lie

Fred Johnson running into T1

Trent running into that finish chute...

Hardware from Summertime Blues, missed a couple for the shot but you get the point. Oh yeah by hardware I mean awards...not my neck brace. hahaha

Trent running out of T1 on his 4th Guru from me in 3 years...LOVE THAT GUY!

Rich Cairns on his way to a 2:13 oly in New York in the rain...FAST!!!!!

So every one wants to see stats...testing...marketing numbers. So and so (who always wins) won on this bike...wheels...shoes...aerobars...helmet...and so on. I do things differently, I offer something different. I don't offer what other people say you should ride...I offer what will work for YOU. Everyone is different and so should their bikes and gear. One thing should remain the same...results. I work very hard with each client to do all I can to help them reach thier goals...and occasionally they realize potential they never knew they had. Richard Cairns is one such story...I met 3 years ago at a previous store I used to work at. I sold him a road bike so he could start getting into triathlons. He did a couple sprints, had fun with having a swimmers background, yet as with everyone, sometimes life gets in the way. Some time off and some time later we reconnect in the start of my adventure into the unknown and on my own. One of the early bikes sold I got Rich started off on pretty much a dream bike. From there he started training and racing again with great success. Then came Tejas where he won his AG and a second off of Masters. With fire in his eyes and the taste on this lips the pain came. Nautica NYC Tri the guy was a killer and then in a little local sprint tri with some great local names he was racing his friend who beat him at Tejas. Summertime Blues Tri became a race for two guys, both on Guru Cronos, both coached by the same coach, both set a Master's Record for the race with Rich coming in 2nd overall and Brett Cole 3rd overall. This time though...Rich had his Master's win and Brett had to take the AG W. Later that day I got a text from Rich thanking me for the help down this road to glory. This is why I do what I do...knowing that what I do makes a difference in this sport we all love...to what ever level we all love it.
Here are some of the results from races of recent. I am sure I am missing some but I think you get the point. Custom bikes work, fitting is a must, and that with the right parts....you can buy speed!

Ironman Canada
Andrew Strong 9:55:44 with a 5:09:09 bike split on a Guru Merus. 3rd in AG and 58th overall. Kona here we come
Trent Stephens 10:14:24 Guru Crono 108 OA and 29th in the PRO ranks.
Walt Yarrow 12:01:31 Guru Crono 1st Ironman,
Lisa Tilton McCarthy 12:23:16 Guru Merus
Debbie Harrison 15:22:52 Guru TriLite
Tessie Jackson Phillips 16:35:09 Guru TriLite

Nautica NYC Tri
Richard Carins 2:13:08 Guru Crono
6th in AG out of 396 in AG. PR

Chicago Tri
Mike Shearman 2:40:22 Guru Ventus
Teresa Demetriou 2:51:31 Guru Magis, 9th in AG first race on the bike and a PR

Bridgeland Tri
Laura Meichan 1:21:38 Master's Female winner, first triathlon ever, Guru Geneo
Melanie Sun 1:17:49 Guru Magis 2nd in AG and 2nd fastest bike split of the women
Brett Cole 1:10:20 Guru Crono 3rd in AG 10th overall
Greg Witherow 1:19:53 Guru Merus hot off of IMCDA
Greg Colvin 1:14:22 recent Retul fitting and upgrades, 5th in AG fastest bike split in AG 2nd fastest OA.
Collen West 1:31:09 Guru Praemio 6th in AG


Clearlake Tri
Sprint
Trent Stephens 1:15:17 OVERALL WINNER Crono
Laura Meichan 1:28:24 1st in AG 25.7mph av, fastest femail bike split in entire race Geneo
Olympic
Melanie Sun 2:35:11 2nd in AG fastest bikesplit in AG Magis
Jacqueline Fein 3:09:11 2nd in AG
John Caffey 2:13:40 1st in AG 4th overall, recent Retul fitting with upgrades
Jon English 2:18:14 3rd in AG recent Retul Fitting and upgrades
Brett Cole 2:14:58 1st in AG Guru Crono
Greg Colvin 2:23:53 1st in Clydsdale Masters with the fastest bike split of the entire race 25.7mph


Summertime Blues Tri
Richard Cairns 1:06:38 Masters Overall, 2nd Overall, new Masters record. Crono
Brett Cole 1:07:14 1st in AG 3rd Overall Crono
Trent Stephens 1:08:22 2nd in AG 5th overall Merus (first ride on that bike was race morning haha)
Debbie Demeo 1:16:15 1st in AG and 2nd female overall, recent Retul fitting and upgrades
Dave Depinet 1:11:59 1st in AG Guru Crono
Fred Johnson 1:12:18 2nd in AG Guru Crono
Nigel Willerton 1:12:49 3rd in AG recent Retul Fitting and upgrades

East Side Tri
Trent Stephens OVERALL WIN on his Guru Merus (finally dialed in 7days after last weeks tri)
Fred Johnson 3rd in AG Guru Crono
Melanie Sun AG winner! Guru Magis

Ironman Wisconsin
Greg Colvin 12:19 and 250 places higher than IMCDA post Retul fitting and upgrades...

Chappell Hill Road Race
Stephanie Page 2nd Cat4 women
Bill Krause 3rd Cat 4 men

Another very small time trial bike!

Prepping the frame for build is common place in these builds. Care is always taken with each component to ensure a perfect work or rolling art!

Yes, those are purple chain ring bolts there holding that Aero QRing onto the 165 Ultegra SL crank arm spinning on a Rotor SABB ceramic bottom bracket.

HED Classic aero bars, Nokon cables, Sram Force brakes.

Just a nice clean shot of where she will be spending her time...in the aero bars.

Just a nice shot race ready. Let the fun begin!

Special care is always taken with each bike to make sure each custom frame that comes in for each client is done perfectly...unlike bikes found at your big box stores. This is always the obvious case when you have a customer who is just too tall or too short to fit anything out there any kind of way. I often find myself taking care of the women out there who have battled their bikes and their love to ride with a hatred for their bike and how bad it hurts to ride. Custom frames to the rescue...
This Guru Merus actually weighs less with the 1380 gram Velocity training wheels on it than the Zipps. Though at speed the Zipps have that aero advantage. What does it weigh with the race wheels??? 15lbs 10oz

Bridgeland Triathlon

Unfortunately no pics yet. But what a great race. Very well run for a first time event. Congrats to the OnURLeft crew!
Shama Cycles athletes/clients/friends had a great day that day! The funniest story of the day by far was that of Laura Meichan. You might know her from the blog or out on the road as a Cat 2 road racer, former State Crit and Time Trial Champion as well. Over the past couple of years she has done a couple of duathlons which she loved and decided it was time to try a tri. Bridgeland was perfect cause it was close to home and a sprint. With the help of Trent Stephen's (www.CoachTrent.com) open water swim clinics she got her swimming in gear and kept up the running...the bike...well that is good if ya know what I mean. She had a time trial bike but sold it recently as her new Guru Magis is being made as I type. But since its not in yet she had to Merckx the bike and ride it on her Guru Geneo, a road bike. I let her borrow my HED Jet 6s and Lazer Tardiz helmet and she was ready to go. Race day! The swim started off well for her, actually getting in the front half of her wave until she felt her timing strap start to come loose. So she just took it off and put it in her Shama Cycles tri top pocket (notice the plug haha) and kept swimming for that T1 to get to her bike. She looks to check her swim time on her watch and its out...totally blank...of course it is. On the bike and pedaling away with no real data just feel she is passing girls and boys as she should until she hears this noise from the front wheel...maybe a flat. Arse! So she sees the parking lot where she parked and pulls into it since she knows she has a flat kit in her car. She pulls up, stops, and realizes that she does not have her keys on her like normal...Double Arse! So she gets off and started looking at the front tire and it seems fine, she looks closer and realizes that there is some one's helmet number stuck in her brake rubbing on the wheel. That was the noise...TRIPLE ARSE! In a fit of rage Laura mounts her Geneo and starts turning those pedals in anger. (thank you Phil Liggett) Having to re pass everyone she just passed before her 3-4 minute blunder she makes it to T2 and rushes to her shoes. Also she stops to put her timing strap back on her ankle. The run seems to be normal for her but after all the mishaps she finishes and is just beside herself. Not thinking that she will even be scored or ranked in the results due to the timing chip issue and for being one of the last waves off she called it a day and put her first tri behind her as most of us do. The drive home was one of reflection and a phone call to me to tell me her story. We both laughed and I gave her the pep talk any friend/sponsor should give. "you did great, I am proud of ya, next time you will do better" But there is more...keep reading.
After talking to Laura it was time to hit up my list of athletes racing and get their race reports. So I called Melanie Sun who was racing her new Guru Magis for the first time so I had to know how she did since I promised her she would be faster (standard sales pitch hehe) on a new bike from me. Of course she was faster...she tied for fastest female bike split of the day. OH YEAH! She told me about her race and how she loved the bike and she got 2nd in her Age Group but just could not run down 1st place who was just 50 yards ahead. Arg! But her big one is ClearLake coming up so she was happy. Then came the interesting news. She asked if I heard from Laura cause they were calling her name at the awards. What were they calling it for? 3rd in her Age Group???? Nope...Female Masters Overall. A-FREAKING-MAZING! Now I know there are some over 40 females who have been racing for years and never gotten Masters are maybe not as excited or happy for Laura as I am more like cursing her for beginners luck and not happy that there is yet one more girl out there making it harder for everyone else. Its all in good spirit right? hahaha So of course I had to call Laura with the news. NO FREAKING WAY was her response as well. We laughed and she quickly realized that maybe she will do more triathlons and next time on her new Guru Magis and hopefully not make any more mistakes.
Also out there was
Collen West, first tri on her new Praemio in prep for her first ironman next year.
Brett Cole clinched 3rd in his AG on his Guru Crono
Greg Witherow got back into the sprint spirit after Ironman CDA on his Guru Merus
Greg Bauer did not drown (swam 3 times and is a Cat 2 road racer) finished his first tri!!!
Greg Colvin who also did IMCDA hit the tri in his new position and had 2nd fastest bike split of the day.
Graham Schooley raced a Guru Crono (mine) for the first time since his bike was recently stolen and now has a Guru in his future.
John Theim rocked in a good race on his new position
Ryan Owens had his fastest bike split on his new rig...

For all it seemed to be a great race for a first time race and we will look forward to this one again next year.

First real attempt at a shop ride...fun day

Rolling along on a beautiful morning. All I see in this picture is the white bibshorts...so Euro Cool!!!!

Jess, Wilmer, Kristen, Chris.
It was Chris's birthday that day...so at the Shell station 44 sweaty, smooth legged, Lycra clad men serenaded him with a song. There were 6 girls there too...

Above
Its a tough job but someone has to do it.
And YES those are white bib shorts Helen is wearing....quit possibly the single hottest pair of shorts I have EVER seen.
Below
The roll out...just a little late...

With the help of my friend Chris Lockwood putting out emails and a great map. Shama Cycles had its first real organized ride from the shop. Open to all...even triathletes and their tri bikes. We did the Lake Houston route and rolled out about 40 strong at 7am. More joined us along the way creeping our number to 50. The group stayed together pretty well and the pace was rather quick for our normal group ride. In all a great ride...that was followed up by Le Tour playing on the TV and food and drinks out for some post ride recovery. A very fun day and I can't wait to do it again. Look for weekly postings on rides to come soon.

Cap Tex Triathlon 2009

Mike Shearman is all smiles pre race....
below
Lisa, Teresa, Beau, ?, Walt

Well one of the biggest races of the year for most Texas triathletes is Cap Tex Tri in Austin. Ok, maybe not the biggest but definitely the most fun...especially for Houston athletes that love to trek to Austin for a weekend to party and race on Memorial Day Weekend! I have heard some race recaps from the weekend and while I did hear about the racing...I hear more about pre race and post race than anything else. Which just means it really was GREAT WEEKEND!!!!
In the Sprint Race
Lisa Tilton McCarthy won her Age Group, not on her newly redone prized possession Guru Cron but on her new Guru Praemio, custom road bike built to be able to tri on too. Which worked great on this multi loop course.
Walt Yarrow won his Age Group on his Guru Merus. He went full aero for the sprint and killed it!!!
Mike Shearman took 13th in his AG (same as Walt's) on his Guru Ventus which he just started riding again like two weeks ago. Which isn't right since he bested his friend Spencer who works more than Mike...though we think everyone works more than Mike??? haha

In the Olympic Distance race
Ann Hughes rocked a great race in her first attempt of this distance, she was 3rd in her AG on her white with purple Guru Crono.
Jacqueline Fein cruised into 3rd place on her Guru Crono!!!!
Teresa Demetriou enjoyed her race as well.
Richard Cairns rolled to a top ten in his AG on his road bike and my Edge wheels.
Beau Freyou rocked 3rd place in his AG. Way to go Beau!!!
Kendall Gray enjoyed his effort out there.

Silverlake Tri!

Here is the recap from Brett Cole of that race...killer bike split! #1 in age group is always a good day!

Philip – a little race recap for Silverlake-

My second year at the Silverlake sprint, and with the cool weather and low humidity (and of course the Guru) I was able to drop nearly 5-minutes from last year, good for 6^th OA, and 1^st in the always competitive M40-44 AG.

My pool work may be starting to help, but still I’ve got a long way to go. Out of the water there were at least 6 or 7 AG guys ahead of me, but I was only down about 1:30 behind Tom Stus, who was in front of the AG - with the fastest OA swim split for the day.

For me the bike course is a real technical challenge, by my count 30+ turns over the 10-miles and my cornering may even be weaker than my swimming. A hard effort on the few straight stretches and I was able to get into T-2 with the top AG bike split and down to just 3 guys in front of me for the run, just under 1:30 down on Stus.

I really pushed it out of T-2 and gave the run all I could, leading to a solid 5:49/mile avg and the 3^rd best OA run split. I think I caught Stus with about a mile to go, and ended up finishing 0:45 in front of him. Still, was about 1:00 out of the top-5, and 3:00 off the OA winner, but I was really happy with the effort and result for the day.

Others of Note,
Coy Connelly rocked his race in Brett's AG on his Crono.
Jane Kang came back to racing after some time off on her Guru Merus, one of the smallest frames you will ever see!
And my friend Lisa Berman won her AG, thanks to her Speedfill no doubt. haha ;-)

A hard day at the office...with two customers.

14lbs 11oz
6/4 titanium frame, AlphaQ full carbon fork
Sram Red shifters
Sram Force Front D, rearD, brakes
Rotor Agilis Cranks, Qrings, SABB ceramic bb
Parlee carbon braze on clamp
Extralite seatpost collar
Tune aluminum seat post
CaneCreek headset
Selle Italia Diva saddle
Deda Zero 100 bar and stem
Lizard Skins bar tape
Nokon cables
HED Ardenesse wheels
Michelen Pro Race tires
KMC gold chain, KCNC skewers
Mavic Wintech computer
Elite cages

Walt, rolling on his Guru Merus, we played with his position too

Lisa, just enjoying the ride, one of the few times on the hoods.

above
Walt and Lisa sharing feelings or whatever couples do on rides.
(really she is talking trash about dropping him next hill)
below
Man that kit looks good! Oh yeah, so does Lisa and her bike. ;-)

Well today was one of those days that really wears you out. The kind of work day that when you are done you just want to CRASH and sleep and not be bothered. I had to ride my bike for work. Yes, I know what you are thinking "in this heat?". I know...but I am committed to great customer service.
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
Lisa Tilton-McCarthy picked up her new Guru Praemio today. This bike is a new frame with a couple old parts from her Crono, which is also being upgraded. Her goal is a Kona slot. A goal I have committed to helping her with anyway I can. She is an awesome athlete and just needs work on the bike. Her run is killer so if she can just stay on the bike she can seal the deal on the run. So we took her 2 year old Crono which still looks brand new, selected some upgrades for it and had to have some where to put her old parts. What to do...what to do??? Its obvious! Get a titanium road bike that compliments your tri position. I mean...everyone does that right? ;-)
So here we are. A 6.4 titanium road bike that weighs 14lbs and 11oz with out even trying.
The goal of the bike is to have something to train in, in groups and be in control a little better for those long rides. We worked with Guru to design the frame to compliment the fit of the Crono I sold her just two years ago. This way training on this bike transfers to the Crono. We also designed it to be raced as well. There are those events in triathlon were sometimes a road bike might be better. Cap Tex Tri for example, tight course, corners, climbing, and lots of people on the same course. If you are at all nervous in your aero bars around people on a course like that then you are on your bull horns and defeating the purpose of the tri bike. We chose titanium so she can put it on the trainer, use it on crappy days, rough road rides, and travel for fun with out having to worry about damaging a carbon bike. Basically a bike that she can relax with and not worry about it falling over at a rest stop or in the back of her car.

THE RIDE!
As I always try to do, I like to ride with customers on thier first ride. One its just plain fun. But really it allows me to see things that you can't see on the Computrainer or Retul. This way if we need to stop and adjust the saddle tilt or handle bars as the true position is found we can do that. We did 72 miles today and this is her first time to ride a road bike. One bike triathletes crack me up. First lesson of the day...shifting. haha Just spinning in the parking lot she was amazed at the bike but I was worried about 72 miles in a new position that she was not used to, not to mention starting out at noon in the heat of the day. We took off and about 5 miles into the ride till about mile 60 she comments "now I know why you roadies ride all the time, this is a blast" "this is so easy" I can ride in my drops and it feels just like my tri bike" "Oh my god these hills are so easy to climb standing up, this bike is so light" The only things we adjusted as the saddle just slightly up and tilted. Everything else was perfect. Needless to say she was loving life and the new bike. At every stop Walt and I would have to chase her down when we started up again cause she would just take off! We finish the ride and she was so excited and full of life, I was dead tired from logging in 9hours in two days.

The ride was actually best for me though, I find no greater satisfaction in my work than days like today. Riding with a friend/customer who could not be happier with their new bike and riding it. This is why I do what I do.
I LOVE MY JOB!!!!

Next up, her Crono reborn and ready for Hawaii 70.3 on the 30th of May!!!!

Champions Tri in Austin

Waly Yarrow sitting 3rd in his AG for the Oly race. Guru Merus got him there.
Above is Lisa Tilton McCarthy's Crono that took her to 3rd Woman Overall for the day.
Below, Trent raced in the Pro race, BRUTAL winds and competition. Trent was 7th overall there.
Trent coming home....


Lisa, Walt, myself, and Trent post race. I had 4 Gurus there that day. It was a good day to be supporting the crew and seeing everyone race.

The Kona Project

Above
Possible sprint and quarter position
Below
Possible half and full IM position

The heart of a bike...the frame. Tailor made to Andrew Strong's measurements and requirements. Being able to "tune" the titanium frame with specific tube selections is key for triathletes and something Guru excels at getting just right for every client of mine.
Also...the welds are beautiful!

So Andrew Strong is a friend of mine as well as an athlete I sponsor. Andrew has made it to Kona for the past two years...which has also been his first two years of competing in the Ironman distance races. So yes...he is a natural...but he also trains intensely and is VERY dedicated. Swimming is not his strong point, with 1:30+ swim times and qualifying for Kona still...yes his bike split is violent and run is vicious. The past two years he has done this on a Cervelo P3C and was wind tunnel fitted on it by John Cobb. Does it get to be any faster than this???
I believe it does. My business is based on the simple fact that fit is key. So if the bike fits better you are going to be more stable, more comfortable, and more powerful.
I am taking Andrew Strong, a man with strong Kona ambitions this year, off of what most consider to be "the fastest bike in the world" and putting him on a titanium frame that does have higher drag numbers in the wind tunnel...will he be faster?
I believe he will. This is what my business is and the proof will be in the real world...Ironman Brazil. This is his first chance to qualify for Kona. The fitting method right now will start from his current fit and then we will implement what I have learned under Dr. Andy Pruitt during my Specialized years and from Dan E's FIST method. I will be looking at everything with a Retul and Computrainer SpinScan.
Stay tuned as I put my reputation on the line for a proven athlete on a proven set up!
Soon I will have postings of the complete bike.
I look forward to seeing how this goes. Should be a fun little test!!!

Lonestar Tri is over part 2

Trent kicking in the run on lap one...by lap 4 his grin was not as evident...
Richard Cairns killing the bike! I love how he lined up the HED decals for the pic! hahaha
A common theme of the day from my first race Guru riders...the bike felt so good I think I want a bit too hard and paid for it in the run a little. Gotta love it!
Fred Johnson, had a goal of sub 5hours. He was 21 seconds off but still a PR! Also his fastest bike split...using the new Quarq Saturn power meter. Racing with power is HUGE!
Brett Cole was also out on his first race on his new Guru Crono. His quote

Wanted to let you know – my 2:31 Lonestar on the Guru was 8:00 faster than Longhorn in October and nearly 25:00 faster than Lonestar in 2008. The bike felt so good I probably pushed a bit too hard and took away from my run some – but it was fun and I won’t complain about being under 5:00 on a hot and windy day.

Makes me proud!

Lisa Tilton McCarthy looks to be out on a leisurely stroll but in fact is rolling along on her way to 3rd in the Aquabike. Her Kona aspirations this year are more important than racing doubles every weekend. Which is a first for her as the Aquabike was raced instead of the Half. Saving the legs for the BIG ONE is the way to go. Good job Lisa and that Guru will take you to Hawaii all the way! Look for more postings on Lisa and her beautiful Guru Crono. Hers is one of the first ones I sold several years ago and one of the nicer builds as well.

Getting ready for the races....

Trent is rolled in the Elite wave this weekend with his disc and 808 front of course.

The biggest weekend of tri racing in Houston, maybe even in Texas. 2600 athletes over 2 days in 2 distances. Sprint, quarter, and half. So needless to say I was slammed all week with athletes wanting their bikes tuned up for the race, race wheels put on and check shifting, a last minute upgrade and even picking up a new bike before race day. Gotta love

Ann was race ready with her set up. Purple never looked so good on a bike.

Full titanium frame, Zipp carbon basebar, Profile Carbon T2aerobars, Shimano Ultegra SL group, Rotor SABB ceramic bottom bracket, Adamo saddle, HED clincher wheels, Nokon cables, Deda Zero stem, Qrings, Xlab Sonic wing...20lbs flat!

Well, Greg Witherow committed the ultimate RACE SIN this weekend. He raced on a bike that he only got the Friday before the race...a brand new custom Guru Merus. Which means he only rode about 30 minutes on it on Saturday before racing it in the Half on Sunday! Did he pay the price??? No sir! Half Ironman PR by 33 minutes. Last year he did the Aquabike half at the same race where he left it all out on the bike last year, this year conserving on the bike in windy conditions to save the run...still 5 minutes faster. All on a bike he still needs a little time to get used to. Another example where custom just can not be beat. Good job Greg! You make me proud!

New life into an older Crono

Not everyone can always have the latest greatest in this tough economic landscape. LOL I don't think my business is a good reflection of our times but still sometimes we have to show some moderation. Here is a perfect example. Guru Crono, circa 2006 with full Dura Ace and an old Profile Designs one piece bar and Fizik saddle. Now its 2009 and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the frame and the design is the same and its a perfect fit...sop what to do when you are wanting to spend money in anticipation of your Stimulus Check???? (forgive the political humor)
I am glad you ask...
Zipp aero bars, the very adjustable 3 peice set up, we picked the base bar, clip ons, and S bend extensions. VERY light and SUPER stiff for big guys or guys who like to rip on the front of thier rig. The bars are held on by a KCNC TI Pro stem. CNC machined for strength while being lightweight. Plus the simple graphics on a black stem work with the bike well.
For now we are trying out the Blackwell fork, we will see if it stays on or not.
The saddle was upgraded to a Selle Italia carbon shelf that has a water bottle holder built into it. Nice and aero for the short stuff! Then we rocked the Rotor Agilis Crankset with a SABB ceramic bottom bracket and a set of 54/42 aero Qrings. This lightened up the drivetrain while freeing up the spin of the cranks. Which now has the chain spinning through ceramic pulley wheels in a pimped out Dura Ace rear D that is now 20grams lighter from the tune kit for it that is anodized in red for some flare. The whole thing is cabled together with Nokon cables, white with some black an red in there. Oh yeah, and just to tie in the white on this mostly black rig we up graded the brakes to TRP 950SLs in white. We dropped justs over 2lbs off this bike and made it spin more efficiently...not to mention the looks.
This weekend is the true test...Fayetteville Stage Race. Oh yeah...I have to build up a TT bike for myself this weekend still. Whats the old saying about new bikes in races...well...even if I am still cabling it Friday...I am still racing a new TT bike on Saturday. Just the question is do I build a Merus or a Crono???