Mary Eggers

Thanks for all the great suggestions for my new column on Xtri! I have contacted all the fabulous ladies suggested, I have lots of topics that you are interested in hearing about, which means I have some great and fun work to do!!!! Please keep them coming!!!! Have I mentioned how excited I am???????

Warning: spellcheck not working today. The problem with typing so fast is that I reverse letters. Warned!

It’s not like me to buy something new, at least when it comes to triathlon gear. When I make a purchase, I make the right purchase. When you spend this kind of money on this kind of gear … and you take care of it….. you can expect it to last years. We’ve got a gorgeous Zipp disc 909 that’s lasted over 12 years. I have a gorgeous set of Bontragers that I have had for four years and zome Zipp 404′s that have lasted even longer. Take care of your gear, and it will last forever. When I look at wheelsets now, I think…. yeah the dimpling is nice, I guess it’s save me .045 seconds on a 40K time trial course. Or I could go faster by losing a pound.

It explains why I just bought my first new pair of cycling shoes since 2003. The only reason I bought the new pair is because I couldn’t get the cleat off the shoe. During my bike fitting The Wizard had to tell me firmly….. it’s time for new shoes Mary…… but Jesse I can get the cleat off….. Mary, it’s time for new shoes.

Trust me I tried for another week to get those cleats off. Not coming off.

I caved. I got new shoes. I will buy a $200 pair of cycling shoes, and they last me 8-10 years, because I buy the right pair for me. I don’t buy on look, I buy on functionality. I want one strap that comes from the outside in. I want a ventillated shoe, and I never ever wear socks in my cycling shoes. The only problem is they are white. Who wears white cycling shoes? Um… well now I do. $200 for something that lasts me 8-10 years?  That’s a good investment.

We were talking about that with our favorite bike guy, Jim Hogan of Geneva Bicycle. Curt finally got a new fork on his bike after the big crash of 2010, and we were thinking of how to repair the Zipp 404. What I love about Jim and the gang there is that they sat down and brainstormed. Some of the parts of a Zipp 404 this old weren’t made anymore, the hubs are different, but it’s still a freaking great wheel. After about 40 minutes of thinking how we could do this, Curt decided to buy a new wheelset. Reynolds. Great wheels, great price. And that’s the thing about Geneva….. they could have been like dude… get some new wheels. But instead of being focused on the sale, they were focused on getting the existing wheel fixed, then ended up making the sale in the end.

Jim is one of us though, he’s an old schooler. He commented on how so many athletes these days get caught by the bling. They buy the ten thousband dollar wheel when what is really important is the engine. So true.

Not only did I just purchase a new pair of cycling shoes, I finally found a helmet I liked. Have a seat for a  minute…… I hate aero helmets. Not the way they look, they look fine. I hate the way they feel. I feel like a storm trooper. I feel like I have a sealed vault on top of myhead, I have a lot of hair. Oh yes, I do have an aero helmet. I have tried several. I just hate the way I feel. Finally I have found one that suits me.

I have a fabulous bike, I ride a Cervelo P2C. I can’t imagine riding anything else. I just love this bike. I formerly had a Cervelo P2K which I loved equally as much. The fit is what matters. If I was told I had to go out and buy a new bike right now, the choice for me would be easy. I would go to Jim Hogan and tell him I wanted a bike comprable in specs to the P2C, if not another P2C for the same price point. If it can’t be a Cervelo he’d pick the brand, I’d let him pick the color, and I would just show up for the fitting.

I know…… I must be a dream wife. I am. (Hold on, Curt seems to be choking).  You should have seen how I picked out our wedding bands. Whatever you think Curt. Wedding flowers? I asked the flower people to do it. Wedding cake? The cake peope chose it. When they asked me if I wanted to order a back up cake in case something happened during transport I laughed. No, just bring the smashed cake. We will make ice cream soup I told them. The dress? first one I tried on. I was just not one to wonder about colors. I was marrying the man of my dreams….. flowers, cake, dresses, that’s secondary stuff. I already had everything I needed. House? First one I looked at. Looks good to me!!!!!!! 

You should see how I grocery shop. 20 minutes door to door.

But that’s the way I am. I trust my gut. I have learned through the years that my gut instinct is right. Here is a secret…. so is yours.

So if you are new to the port, don’t get caught up in the bling. Do’t get intimidated by what everyone else has. Take your time. Save up, make an investment on what really matters, nutrition, bike fit, good shoes, good helmet, good wetsuit and let everything else be taken care of by the work you put in. Sure it sounds simplistic, but it’s true. If you take really good care of your stuff, it will last forever.

Take equally great care of your body, and it will last forever too!