Guess what I just did? My first criterium race! 😎
The race took place at right across the Hudson River. Well not really, but it was close enough, at Branchbrook Park in Newark, New Jersey. I made my best effort to get some snapshots before and after the race.
Special thanks to ISM Saddles for the super race kit!
Here are the results via USA Cycling – I got 10th place in the Cat4/5 race. There was a 2 man breakaway, with a 2 man chase, followed by the rest of the pack. Clearly, I was in the pack. Being that this was my first race, safety was my main concern. I found an outside line during the sprint finish, but was boxed out and outsprinted by 5 others. It was such a fun experience!!!
Our lead vehicle was a VW Beetle! How cool!!Post race shot. Thank you ISM!!The CAT4/5 results are in!I don’t remember what the race director said, but I guess it was funny…Can you spot my first sprint finish?
Just like January, it was another freezing and snowy month of indoor training. February featured my first race of 2014, with a second place finish at the Old Bethpage 5K, followed by wattage tests on the trainer, resulting in a new Functional Threshold Power. Without a doubt, this month went very smoothly and according to plan.
Just by comparing these totals from the January report, I trained slightly less, but with greater intensity. But what we don’t see in this data is that I’ve been in the pool much more 😉
I’ve been using their saddles since 2012 and no other saddle that I’ve tried in the past 4 years of cycling has matched their level of comfort. I’m still the new kid on the block when it comes to cycling but when it comes to comfort, I feel like I’ve struck gold with ISM. The technology behind these saddles is really cool because it focuses on shifting your body weight to where it should be instead of at the perineal region where numbness occurs. This next picture pretty much sums it up 🙂
ISM provides a broad range of saddles, from cruiser style seats to your time trial specialist saddle; meaning that there has to be at least one on their lineup that will fit you well. As for me, I have 3 saddles in the rotation, all of which have their own special qualities for each type of riding. Here are my setups!
Adamo TT – Cannondale Slice (time trial/triathlon)
This was my first ever ISM saddle. I bought it at a time when I just first started triathlon training. Like many others out there, I wanted a saddle that was comfortable, whether I was doing a recovery ride on the trainer or hitting the hills for interval repeats. I don’t remember where I first tried the Adamo TT but I remember how much I liked the feel of it…and then I absolutely loved the comfort when I was 4 hours into my ride. The TT saddle has sloped front arms for extra relief, especially since I ride in a more aggressive position on the Cannondale Slice. I’ve logged thousands of miles on this saddle, throughout 2 Ironman seasons, and I look forward to many more.
Adamo Podium – Trek Domane (road/commuter)
I chose the Podium for my commuter bike mainly because it has a bit more padding than the Attack. It’s also wider, so it gives me slightly more stability when riding with no-hands 😉 Before mounting the saddle, it weighed in at 300 grams, which isn’t significantly light, but the trade-off for comfort is worth it.
The latest to my collection of ISM saddles is the Adamo Attack. The Supersix Evo came with the Fizik saddle which would make me go numb in about 45 minutes of easy riding – that’s certainly a recipe for disaster. I’m not much of a weight weenie but when it comes to my 14 pound Evo, I try to be more careful as to not add unnecessary weight to this machine. This is where the Attack comes in. It’s sleek, narrower for road races, light, and of course, feels great under my chamois.
Now it’s your turn! Find out what saddle is right for you, HERE 🙂
