Blue-Shamu

A friend introduced me to BikeForums.net as we were talking about this year's RAIN ride which I rode for the second time. Thought it all looked quite interesting. So, here I am!

I'm a 40 years young guy from South Louisiana...have my house and family there. I work and go to school in Southern Illinois. Two things Robinson, Illinois doesn't have my family needs to survive.....warm weather and shopping malls! But, I'm working on them!

I started cycling back in 1999 when I began doing triathlons...of course, I trained very little on the bike...which I'll admit was not the brightest thing to do. Been up here in IL since 2003, met up with some folks that did some riding after about a year or so up here. I still don't think I'm quite used to the hills around here. In south Louisiana, what we call hills, most other folks call "overpasses." And of course, that time trial/triathlon geometry, bouncing carbon beam on my Softride Powerwing 650, and the 53/42 vs. 11/21 gearing combinations didn't make climbing hills any easier! My better half finally gave in and let me buy a new ride this year...picked it up the day after Memorial Day...an Orbea Orca MTO (made to order). It has been really sweet!!! Don't believe the great reviews you read about the Orca in the magazines....it's really better than what they say it is!

So...let's see how this BikeForum thing works!

East Hill

Hello Blue-Shamu, does this mean your Orbea is blue? Do you have photos? What do you mean there are no shopping malls in Robinson, Illinois? You must be living in a deserted part of the country !

Don't worry about the hills, you really do get used to them. I know.

Welcome to BF!

East Hill

CCR

pretty close to it !!!

hello and welcome fellow southern illinoisan [ yes for those of you who dont know there is something further south than springfield ], im in west frankfort, il, (go to effingham and drive south 2 hrs) but i have relatives in Lawrenceville and travel that way quite a bit for work. Your kidding bout the hill stuff, right ?? hehe, your not kidding bout the malls though !!!

Blue-Shamu

Pictures?? Of the bike or of me?? Ohhh...of the bike, of course!

Sure....

I have to figure out this picture thing, yet....

The first is the picture from Orbea's Made to Order website....which my bike was...obviously since you don't see any blue Orca's....they're all black/white.

The second was the day after I picked mine up. I christened it on our vacation to Gulf Shores by riding the Floribama line.

I noticed the "tongue in cheek" with the hills comments. Really, here around Robinson, we have our share of rolling climbers...but I was more referring to places like North of Terre Haute when I was riding with the National Road Bicycle Club...and still do occassionally...and when we do stupid things like the Hilly Hundred or the Brown County Hills Challenge.....or better yet...when we do a training ride up at Lincoln Trail State Park....and ride up there and back from here...oh yeah...we somehow manage to find the hills around here!

Thanks all for welcoming me aboard....for great reading entertainment, try reading my RAIN ride update on the Great Lakes Regional Forum....oh yeah...I like to write...

East Hill

A good travelogue writer is hard to find .

I am serious about my hills. See username for assistance.

East Hill