The Building of my 2013 Quintana Roo Illicito

I am excited to share with all of you that when I roll onto the Queen K in just a few short weeks, that I will be doing so on a brand new Quintana Roo Illicito.  QT2 Systems has partnered up with Quintana Roo (QR) this year and together they have done some great things.  Numerous QT2 Systems athletes have been setting personal best’s while aboard their QR’s this season. As a group QT2 Systems has had 3 PRO wins at the Ironman distance (Pedro Gomes, Jessie Donavan & Jennie Hansen) and a 70.3 win from Cait Snow, all while riding their QR’s….and that’s just the beginning.  The QT2 PRO’s as a whole have had countless podiums this year and the Age Groupers alike have been a mainstay at the Ironman Awards Ceremonies.  In total QT2 Systems qualified 30 athletes to race in Kona, Hawaii at the Ironman World Championships this October!!

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to get my hands on a brand new QR Illicito frame, and I jumped on the chance.  Getting the frame meant that I would not only have a smoking fast and great looking bike to ride, but also that I would get to build it from the ground up (soup to nuts) exactly how I wanted.

With that said I wanted to share with you a gallery of the build process, from when it arrived as a lonely frame to it becoming a complete bike of its own.  I am SUPER EXCITED with how the bike turned out both from my actual fit on the bike and how it looks!  Having the opportunity to pick everything from derailleurs, to wheels, to aero extensions and stems all the way to the color of the tire was a really cool.  I even was able to install some of the components myself, which makes the bike feel even more personal in my opinion.  Brian Hughes did 98% of the heavy lifting in terms of getting wires to fit in places that no mortal human could and ensuring the components worked together…but I did screw on some things here and there and that was good for a guy who used to do nothing but strip bolts like it was his job.

I have to give a HUGE thank you to Quintana Roo for supporting not only myself but the whole QT2 Systems team.  QR has truly gone above and beyond in their support and I am extremely excited to be both riding your bike.  I hope I can have a performance worthy of their support in Hawaii this October.  So thank you QR, you guys deserve a huge pat on the back from all of us at QT2.

Last but certainly not least, a massive thank you is due to Brian Hughes of Fast:Splits Precision Multisport shop located in Newton, MA for his time spent getting my bike put together (on short notice).  With my departure to a pre-kona training camp in NH and the Kona trip itself there wasn’t much time to waste in getting the bike put together.  Once the frame came in it was important to me to have it put together so I could start logging miles on it ASAP.  QR did a great job getting it shipped out quickly and Brian worked his secret magic putting all the pieces together in no time.  I really cannot say thank you enough to Brian.  He is truly one of the best in the business.