When I decided that I wanted to do "a" triathlon, I was thinking that I was going to have a one time experience, not a life style change. So I borrowed a friend's bike. It had been 20 years since I had been on a bike and a bike is a bike, right? WRONG!I practiced for weeks riding up and down the NJ Turnpike (in rush hour traffic). I was the only thing that moved. I took great joy in watching the faces of parked motorist as I peddled bye. After the second flat tire, (due to highway debrie) I decided that this is not a good idea (as well as not smart).
I did the race in June. Using the blue mountain bike felt like I was dragging rocks behind me. Mountain bikes are not built for speed, they are build for durability...and this was a race. I needed speed. So after my second race, I bought a friend's "road bike". It was a red "Specialized" a brand that is synonomys with racing. I was excited to have a real racing bike (even if it was not my size). It was 4 inches to large. I spent the next year riding on a bike that was not the right size for me. As I would learn, size is everything when you are trying to maximize your speed. 
I was using energy to hold my torso up, that I should have been using for peddling. In addidtion I didn't have aro bars and I was not clipped in. Earo bars are handles that allow the rider to lean on his (or her) fore arms and give the back a rest. So I had earo bars put on. Once I did that I began to understand why I needed a better fitting bike. A propperly fit triathlete's body will be parallel with the ground. That way you are resting the muscles you don't use for biking. Looking at the photo, I wasn't. So some of my energy was going to keep my body up. When I did the Half Ironman, I was the only competitor without clipped in shoes. It was as if I were the only one with training wheels. After a while it just got embarrasing. It was time to clip in and if I was going to do that, I needed to get a bike that fit my body right.
I was using energy to hold my torso up, that I should have been using for peddling. In addidtion I didn't have aro bars and I was not clipped in. Earo bars are handles that allow the rider to lean on his (or her) fore arms and give the back a rest. So I had earo bars put on. Once I did that I began to understand why I needed a better fitting bike. A propperly fit triathlete's body will be parallel with the ground. That way you are resting the muscles you don't use for biking. Looking at the photo, I wasn't. So some of my energy was going to keep my body up. When I did the Half Ironman, I was the only competitor without clipped in shoes. It was as if I were the only one with training wheels. After a while it just got embarrasing. It was time to clip in and if I was going to do that, I needed to get a bike that fit my body right. 
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