Bike is nearly built, first FTP test done

Bike is about ready to go, brakes need some adjustment, will swap out the saddle.

But today, I renewed my Trainer Road subscription and took the 2x8 min FTP test. Was bloody painful, I was at RPE 10. Calculated at 182 FTP.

No where to go from here but up. I want to be at 300 FTP by May 2018.

Ordered an old Powertap wheel

Model Elite+ was $180 shipped off of eBay (Pros Closet).

ANT+ model so that's good.

I'm telling myself, I can upgrade to something fancy when I can put out 300 watt average FTP. Until then, shut up and pedal.

Cervelo P3c initial trainer ride

So rode on the P3c this morning for 34 minutes. My take aways:

• The generic saddle hurts, need to put on my Adamo
• I feel slow, legs sore. Could partially be I've been in extreme calorie debt for weeks and rode this morning fasted (no calories prior)
• Handlebar height and reach feels pretty darn good. I'll have to set up a tripod and take video with my iphone to get a good idea on how aero my side profile looks.

Not a crack

So I took some sandpaper to the frame, and no cracks! That's awesome.

I sanded it down with 220, then 400, 1000, 2000.

Then hit it with glossy clearcoat.

Then ordered some $5 decals from eBay to cover a serial number sticker on the right side of the seat tube.

Weight loss update

I'm sub 182!

Comparing Cervelo P3c to a Cervelo S5

So I'm riding the P3c, but set up as a road bike for the technical nature of the courses I'll be riding.

Cervelo's top end aero road bike is currently the S5, which in many ways looks like the P3c. Curved seat tube being the most obvious example.

But I wanted to look at the geometry, to see how much they have in common fit-wise as well.

Cervelo P3c size 58 
Head tube: 145mm
Top tube: 589mm
Head tube angle: 72.5 degrees
Stand over: 799mm
Seat tube angle: 75 degrees

Cervelo S5 size 58
Head tube: 181mm
Top tube: 581mm
Head tube angle: 73.5 degrees
Stand over: 791mm
Seat tube angle: 73 degrees

So there you go. The largest difference is the head tube length. I've compensated for this with a large stack of head tube spacers. Seat tube angle is a little more aggressive on the P3c, but this is okay because I'll be TTing on it and on the aerobars. Top tube length is nearly identical.

Training is going

I'm in a rhythm of running one morning, then biking the next. So far the runs are only 2 miles, but when they stop hurting so bad, I'll up the distance. I'm using the Garmin Forerunner 310xt and tracking heart rate and pace.

I'll be racing a 5k in 38 days, October 28th. Need those checkpoints to keep things on track. Then another 5k in early December ---- a free Fleet Feet race. Then the duathlon early January 2-6-2.

The Cervelo P3c is coming together, nearly done now. Just need a front brake (its in the mail).

I'm working on building a front nosecone that will house the water bladder and shield the cables and front brake.

Frame doesnt appear to be cracked, I sanded it down to bare carbon and all looks fine, so thats a relief!

More parts coming today!

This thing is coming together!

Next steps include:

• Drilling top tube to better route shift cables
• Install cranks
• I bought a front Zipp 60 carbon wheel that had a puncture on the side of the rim, will be repairing it once the epoxy I ordered arrives
• Install brake levers

Cervelo P3c ROADIE

Got the bike that's going to take me there: 58cm Cervelo P3c. Paid $450, had to get a new aero fork. Small cracks on seat tube, but we'll see how it goes...

I'll set it up like a road bike, with the saddle in the rear position which is 75 degrees seat tube angle.

It'll be fast. Time on the bike will be short and painful but fast.

Read this when you feel dejected

In the next year, I will:

Train consistently
Train hard
Not give up
Not let my ego get in the way of one of the above
Keep my bike ready to go (no crazy modifications involving tearing the bike down and redoing it)
Not get too worked up about the current status of the bike build, it's fast as is, doesnt need to be tuned
Remember the short, intermediate and long term goals
Remember why I'm doing this, the passion, the feeling of victory, not just actual victory but overcoming obstacles
Stay patient, the fitness and therefore the results will come, really!