She's a beauty!

Yep, I got it! The LBS had the model and size of bike I wanted so I spent two hours there yesterday getting the right accessories and being properly fit.

It's a Cannondale CAAD8 with a Shimano Triple shifter. It's light, rides well and is pretty good looking to boot. Since this is my triathlon bike I added a couple of other features to make it more triathletic:

The guy at the LBS and I worked on spacing these aerobars so that I'd have a little daylight between my fingers. Overall, they have me sitting in a nice straight-backed aero position.

I also had some clipless pedals added and got some Bontrager road shoes to fit. As you can see here, the Garmin Cadence Sensor has been installed. There is not much room left on the handle bars for the bike mount so I may have to just either wear it on my wrist or get creative.

There's no question that the bike was the most significant purchase as I prepare for the May 22 event (just over three months from now). I'm planning on doing a long trainer ride (20 miles) to get me used to riding in the aero position as well as getting used to the clipless pedals. It's also pretty cool out today so not a great to do ride outside.

Another challenging week awaits but I'm excited about it. Swimming has been going better (I've finally cracked the 40 yards per minute barrier) and my running and riding paces are ahead of scheduled goals. Hoping I can stay healthy and keep my motivation as strong as it's been. More adventures to come, I'm sure.