Well, in 9 days I will be leaving for Nantes, France, where I will somehow attempt to keep up my training. My incredibly understanding mother ultimately realized that I need a road bike. This makes me approximately 85% less anxious about this undertaking. I'm not getting anything snazzy like the bikes I'm looking to buy when I get back to the States in January, but a super-entry level road bike (kind of like I have now) that will let me get in a few hundred miles. I'm pretty excited because I have heard Nantes is pretty temperate. I mean, sure, it gets cold, but not Chicago-cold. In other words, I may be able to bike through my entire stay.
Luckily, I found this store called Decathlon only 3.5 km away from where I'm staying!! YES. WIN. While I'm tempted to look at these road bikes with the critical eye I have developed from learning more and more about bikes, I am attempting to force myself to recognize that I will only use this for a few months. Regardless, I'm excited to have this store so close to me because I know I will spend entirely too much time developing a triathlon-related vocabulary. Haha So far I have learned that cadre = frame, fourche = fork, and a road bike is "vélo route" now... how to say "shifters." I have a feeling derailleur might be derailleur...
After conference championships (which is this weekend, on September 3) this blog will almost certainly completely focus on my experiences of attempting to continue tri in another country. AH!
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