100 Rides

So, tonight was a milestone of sorts.  It was the 100th ride on the ZC frame I got after demolishing the Z45 last Labor Day.

In that 100 rides a lot has changed .......

The bike that started as a Felt Z45 now has only the stem, seatpost, and brakes in common with the original stock model.  I made a number of component upgrades early on, received new wheels for Valentine's Day (the bike itself was a early Christmas gift), and then had to go and wreck the frame.  While it may bear little resemblance to that original wonderful bike my wife got me, I will always view it as a gift.  It was and still is the only road bike I've ever owned.  The new frame is essentially the same as the old, just without the yellow highlights.  The wheels were from my wife as well.  I truly appreciate the gift of this bike every time I go out for a ride (or lube a chain, change a cassette, etc.).

The rider has changed too.  At the time of the wreck I weighed somewhere around 190lbs which was down from my peak of 212lbs before cycling.  In the 100 rides since I've dropped that to 178lbs,

going from this ..... to this .... 

to this ...... 

The riding has changed too (if that wasn't evident from the above photos).  My 100th ride on the Felt ZC called for a nice zone 3 effort.  I had a very similar effort on ZC ride #6 - similar route, identical matching HR.  The difference?  Oh, about 2mph of avg speed - a 12% gain!  Thanks Coach Joey!  In fact, I've been feeling so good about my pace on recent zone 2 and zone 3 rides that I'm eager to see what I do on a threshold interval.  Alas, that'll have to wait.  In case you've forgotten, I have a score to settle first.  BikeMS, here I come.