MikeyBTri: Shiny New Bike

I recently decided it was time to upgrade my tired old Giant for a more racy model. My trip to Ironman UK this year is likely to be the only Ironman I do due to all the other commitments I have, my family would like to see a bit more of me apparently, so I wanted to do it properly.

After much whining, pleading, sulking and begging my wonderful wife finally agreed. So this week it was off to the wiggle website to spend, spend, spend. Well I actually looked through lots of reviews and managed to find a well rated, reasonably priced triathlon bike that fitted my requirements. My choice was a Focus Culebro Tria 2009.

I placed my order on Tuesday night and headed off to bed happy. On Wednesday I told everyone that would listen about the lovely new bike I had ordered and how it would knock huge chunks off my bike times. When I got home that night I checked my home email to and found a message from wiggle saying they could not process my order due to a problem with my bank. Arrgghh!

On Thursday I skipped my early morning swim to phone the bank and find out what was going on. Barclays in their wisdom had decided that spending lots of money at Wiggle is unusual behaviour so they had put a block on my card. After answering one hundred and one question about my mothers maiden name, my inside leg measurement and what I had for breakfast (nothing as I was trying to buy my flipping bike) they finally agreed to unblock the card. I then sent a mail to Wiggle asking them to process the order and dashed off to work.

I started Friday very hopeful, it was just possible my bike would get delivered today. As the day wore on I gradually got grumpier and grumpier. Where was my bike? If it didn’t arrive today it probably wouldn’t come until Monday when I would be back in London so I would get to see it or ride it until the next weekend.

At 5:00pm I finally logged off from work and headed downstairs to kick the dog and shout at the children when my wife shouted up to me “There is a delivery man outside but he only has a small box”. In a flash I was down the stairs and helping the very nice delivery man with his little box and then with the huge box that was still in his van. My bike had arrived. And here it is.