It was hard to let Black Lightening go.  Three years ago I brought him home, his twin was already there and being ridden by Trevor.  Such happy days, a dad getting throttled by his son on matching bikes.  That passed, BL and I rode on – over 20,000 miles.

Winning was rare and hard, but we had a few wins: on the group ride seen, a thimble full of TMWC’s, a couple of Market Rides, 1 Food Park and 1 CV… on the USA Cycling side, a few top placings and wins at small crits and one very sweet road race win in Santa Barbara.

We’d commuted to and from work many days, through sunlit mornings and dark nights. We’d moved from Coto to Las Flores to San Clemente.  Each stable a little different.  Each location offering new starting points for rides.

I re-shoed him with Roval CLX 40’s.  These magical wheels were a game changer for us, the speed gains amazing.  Recently, I’d upgraded all his electronics.  His paint was still quite nice.

How could we part?

It wasn’t easy.

When I saw the chrome forks on Flashy Jack I knew I had to have him.  Black Lightening could have stayed on as a back up ride.  That would be the smart thing, especially this rainy year.  But it would be cruel.  He is still so fast, he needed to find a good home.

His new jockey, Chris Hill, has already confirmed that Black Lightening is a game changer for him too.  They rode to a top 3 placing in HUNKR – OC in a star-packed group.

Flashy Jack waited patiently for me to find the time to put him together.  I was impatient, and couldn’t wait to see Eileen for a bike fit tomorrow.  We rode together for the first time today.

It was early, very dark.

I fumbled with the new e-tap shifting.  My position was wrong enough to make my back tense and my knee twinge.  The deeper dish wheels created uncertainty. We hit the TMWC, still no daylight.

A break went off the front.  The gap was expanding.  It was time to see how Flashy Jack would perform.  Ziiiiinnng!… we flew across the gap with minimal effort.

Flashy Jack, welcome home.