6 Months, 6 Races, 1 Bike: "Giddy UP" (2.0)
Argo
At the beginning of this year, Merida Miller got her OPEN and took it everywhere. This is her update.
The OPEN UP 2.0 came to me about a week before my first race of the season, so we had very little time to "get to know each other" but I was instantly impressed by this bike. It's fast, it's nimble, it's reactive, it’s got a kick to it I wasn’t expecting, and the thing I felt instantly is that the bike disappears when you're riding it. And I mean that in the best way: once you get going and the terrain gets tough, the UP 2.0 knows how to handle it.
There's never a moment of fighting with the bike, or feeling "over" or "under" biked. We are just one — which, I can only compare to what it feels like to ride a horse. I name all my bikes after famous horses, and with the UP 2.0's sand color and swiftness could only mean one thing: to name her Argo, after Xena the Warrior Princess's horse.
We're now six months into our riding and racing relationship, and I thought it'd be a good time to reflect on the past six months and six races Argo and I have done together.
*Note to reader: Unfortunately not all of the photos show the exact moment I speak about but that's how it goes in racing.. the photographer is never there when you most need them ;-)
Santa Vall, Spain - Day 1: 120km +1,715m & Day 2: 85km +1,114m
Terrain: Under normal conditions this would mean riding Girona's open faced climbs, rocky technical descents, river crossings and some fast and flat stretches. But this weekend ended up being the muddiest on record. With kilometers of deep mud, water crossings that went up to your waist, and narrow muddy shoots.
Favorite memory: I shouldn't say this too loud, but the mud. The mud was my favorite part. I loved barreling through it, letting the bike decide the best line. At one point I was on a skinny technical slip-n-slide mud descent and I was overtaking people and putting a strong gap between me and the next woman. Then the mud got the best of us and Argo literally went 35 degrees with the ground - I let out a yelp and then somehow the bike was right back underneath me right side up, and we're both still barreling forward. Without a foot touching the ground I was able to keep focus on the ride ahead.
The Hills, Italy - 122km +2,584m
Terrain: Stunning Italian countryside with relentless climbing and some terrifying switchback descents.
Favorite memory: The single track. I wouldn’t classify myself as a climber and most of the day was climbing… Don’t let the name fool you, “The Hills” sounds too innocent for what this day actually was. Lucky for me there were a couple long single tracks where I could release the tension in my legs and let the bike flow. The UP 2.0 is a seriously versatile bike, light on the climbs (thank God) and nimble in the switchbacks and single tracks.
Spanish Tetralogy
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