Bicyclism

When you buy into a pro tour bike you are buying a pedigree that enhances your riding experience with history, mythical hills, pave, the Italian Dolomites and the parched lands of South Eastern Spain. When you buy one of these bikes, you also buy into the associated histories. Yeah, OK, it's all in the mind, and your machine is just a machine, but this aesthetic-romantic packaging weighs nothing and can often push you out the door when mist, cold and wind might keep us otherwise on the couch.

So when Mark Bullen at Armidale Bicycle Centre suggested I take a Time VXR out for a 3 day spin, I conjoured up images of bunch sprints, victory salutes and 100km breakaways all during the few seconds it took to say OK. What are the chances of finding a top end pro tour review bike at your local bike shop set up exactly for your size, pointed towards the door on a Friday afternoon? Three days with a perfectly set up $11,000 bike is way too much to refuse.