The Mona Lisa

Before our RTW trip, many of you know that I was an avid cyclist. But a week after my half-Ironman in 2011, my beloved bike – Elizabeth Taylor – was stolen out of our garage. It was a crushing sentimental loss that was only slightly eased by a generous insurance check that promised a new beginning when we returned. And so I’m excited to introduce the newest member of our family, Mona Lisa. 

She’s such a beautiful piece of work that, for a while, Mona just posed in our living room.

I just couldn’t stand the thought of her getting dirty. There’s nothing like a sparkling clean cassette and fresh handlebar tape on a brand new bicycle. 

But since the point of a bike is to actually ride it, Mona and I started pounding the pavement. Here we are on our inaugural ride.

It was the epitome of, "getting back in the saddle". It took us quite a few miles to get acquainted. I was used to Elizabeth, and Mona felt different. I struggled with her fit for several months, but after some sessions to dial in her measurements, things have started to improve.

As much as I wanted to deny it, one irrefutable truth is that no bike can stay looking perfect forever. And so it was inevitable that Mona and I had our first crash.

Now “crash” implies that I was going at least 0.5 MPH. In fact, I was not. The story’s not even interesting enough to recount, but I will say that it involved a busy intersection in downtown San Diego, the piano bar from Top Gun, and my feet being so tangled up in the pedals that I looked like a flailing dolphin caught in a fishing net. Enough said.

Mona got dinged up, and so did my ego. It’s as it should be.

I still have my trusty sidekick Steve, and we're off discovering new places one pedal stroke at a time. It's good to feel like my old self again!