Always more/Never less……..and………The Madone

We got a training schedule E-mailed to the riders and staff attending before we even left home. Each day there was a ride time scheduled and how long we were to ride. December 1st is 2 to 3 hours easy tempo, December 2nd is 1.5 hours also easy, December 3rd is 3 hours also easy, and so on. It never fails no matter how easy or hard or how sort or long the ride, it is always more than scheduled and never less. Not by much but always a bit more. Usually only 10 or 15 minutes more. Occasionally 30 minutes over the schedule. But again, they never come up short on training time. Not everyone needs to be this diligent. But these guys do.
Trek sent 5 new 2004 Madone’s for us to test. Up till now only Lance has ridden one. At least the only person on our team that has ridden one. I’m sure a few other people have tested them. Up until now Trek only had lugs for the Lances size (58 cm). Trek has made almost all the lugs for all the different sizes so soon you will see the other sizes hit the market.
The new Madone’s came partially built and Scott (Trek Liaison) Chris (our Euro based mechanic) and I built them for a few guys to ride. Man these are cool. I’m typically carbon conservative or better yet almost carbon phobic (on certain parts of the bike at lest). So, it is safe to say that If I’m OK with a Carbon product, it is MORE than OK to use/ride. The three of us built the 5 bikes in almost record time.
photo at right: Roommate – Dave Bolch giving Dave Zabriski his massage.

CClinton

Owner of Promechanics.com and long time professional race mechanic.