Well after much deliberation as to wheter I should buy a Cervelo R3 or a Cervelo Soloist I decided on the latter. I love to climb and the R3 is a great climbing machine BUT...I already have a great climbing machine, the Scott CR1 Team Issue. Another factor helping me with my decision was 2-person RAAM. With only 30 days until the start on June 12th, I thought the demands of the race are a perfect fit for the Soloist.

Gravity and lightweight would only matter at the moment of inertia, accelerating and decelerating and while climbing. Aerodynamics matter all the time. So an aero frame and aero wheels will help save a little bit of energy while being on the road for at least 1,500 (conservative) miles of the required 3,043 miles. So here are the pics and specs:

Dura- Ace Gruppo
FSA SLK Carbon Handlebars (new favorite bar)
Custom wheels Velocity Deep V with Power Tap SL Rear and matching front hub (OCP style)
Fi'zik Airone saddle (experiment)

For RAAM this bike will have Zipp 808 front and 808 Power Tap