March 12th... Wednesday. And will it be the Carbent or the Gold Rush for the race?

Today was my first ride outside on the Carbent which I made into a recovery ride of about 12 miles. Temp was 62F, a little wind, sun was out. A beautiful day!

My perceived level of exertion was higher than I was anticipating for my speed though, honestly speaking, I don't  yet have a speedo on the CB. The bent handled well with no issues in that regard.

What I found interesting, however, is that certain body parts...knees/feet/shoulders/quads, that were almost a non-issue on the trainer, got my attention once I hit the road. Right off the bat my lower quads, near the knee, began tightening up on me. It was as though I had little to no training miles in this position and my body felt ackward producing power. I was orginally thinking of hitting the hills and taking in some climbing routes today but am glad I didn't. Also, I found myself spinning much higher on the roadway than on the trainer.

So...where do I stand at this point?

Right now, I'm proceeding as originally planned with my socked GR as my race bike. I just can't see making the CB work for the TransAm as much as I'd like it to. Century rides? Sure. Double centuries, day after day? No. If I can get the Gr seat dialed in at low-moderate wattage output, I'm there. 

To compare and contrast the Carbent with the socked Gold Rush:

Speed wise? On the flats, it's probably a wash. Rolling hills or descents? The socked GR

Climbing? Carbent

Ease of starting/stopping especially in wet conditions? GR

High speed handling(50+ mph)?  The GR

On bike nutrition? GR

Easy on the shoulder? GR

Weather protection? GR

One item on the CB I didn't like? Thumb shifters. I think I'll stick w/new grip shifters on the GR

Stats:

Estimated distance:12-14 miles

Time: Est. 45 min.

Calories: ?

Est. Wattage: ?