And with a matching helmet...

That is a bike that just finished it's maiden voyage - the first trip of what I hope will be many miles. I had my fitting yesterday, picked up the bike this morning and was on the road within the hour. I didn't go far - maybe 20 miles - but it felt like the ride of the year for me. The bike is a Cannondale Synapse and it is truly a dream bike. It is light as a feather (and you might notice I went out without the added weight of the seat pack - no flats fortunately) and is a marvel to ride. But for me even more of a marvel was that I am on any bike and enjoying it. I started out with a tour of the closed circuit of our neighborhood. I ran through my mental checklist: turn, shift your weight, clip in and clip out, stop, avoid the potholes etc, etc...I turned out onto the street with "real" traffic watching for everything. I headed into the first intersection with a traffic light and a left turn lane with just a bit of trepidation - a lot of double-checking (is that redundant?) before I moved into the left turn lane. And I must say that once that little hurdle was passed it was all good. The bike is without doubt the best - I felt like Lance moving along the road. The ankle and leg felt good and I loved every curve and little rise the the road gave me.

It is so good to be back....