Weekend Athlete!

i'm doing my 1st triathalon april 25th. it's a sprint and i've been training hard to stay out of the bottom fourth.

to lug my bike around, i'm using a 2002 lexus is300 sportcross. i have really enjoyed this car, but i'm always apprehensive to transport the bikes (especially the mountain bike) since i feel like the carpeting is getting trashed.

i'm thankful for the hatch and fold down seats, but loading/unloading the bike (or bikeS for that matter) is never a task  i look forward to. so--i'm seriously considering a Honda Element.

while doing research, i found the most rad site. cars.com has a guy that reviews sport utility vehicles from the perspective of the weekend athlete. check it out here.
of course he found the element THE most weekend athlete friendly car. here's what i love about it:

1) the interior is hoseable--rubber mats are there to handle muddy tires
2) you can stow your bikes vertically inside
3) it has a tailgate
4) it handles like a car
5) if you lay down the front and back seats, they form a nice impromptu bed to chill out on.
6) supposedly the seats are comfortable for long distance treks.

oh and my favorite--a crotchrocket will fit inside!!  (one of my dreams is to race a motorcycle around a proper track)

without further adieu--here's the review!