Chinatown

Actually Beijing...but I don't really get to see it when I'm there, so it might as well be Paris! I know I was in China because I have a plane ticket to prove it and don't think I need to have a bowl of rice for a while!

Our interpreter/helper. She's a student and spoke great English.

The roof of the velodrome while laying on the floor.

What was different about this trip than other trips this winter? First of all, I was not traveling with the women's endurance team and I did get used to that. Hm, Jennie should be here for coffee any minute! On the other hand, I did get to travel with my coach, Neal Henderson, and Jamie Staff, US National Team sprint coach. It is great to have these guys at competition with me. I have been working with Neal for about nine months and glad to have him there to see my progress (and success!) during my transition from sprinter to hmmm...well...something else! I look forward to having Jamie in LA when I train there in the future...and I am very impressed by his "indoor voice" that can heard over all the velodrome noise and still reach me through the pain of my final pursuit laps! Thanks guy...you (and the staff) are great! Look forward to the next one!

Picture of USA Cycling Staff- Alec, Andy, Jamie, Neal

THE RACING

I love to race. In the Omnium, you get plenty of racing. All kinds of racing and all of it at the highest level. Seven (including a qualifier) races over two days. Highlights for me...a PR and top ten in the pursuit. On the other side of things, there was the crash in the Elimination on the first day that didn't help. There is the adrenaline of the crash, but then there is also the comedown afterwards. But that is the point of the Omnium, dealing with something like a crash and coming back in the next race. It is not all about one race, but who is still standing when it is all over and the smoke clears!

I always manage to carve out my own little corner for my bag explosion. Heated floors at this velodrome!

QUESTION: WHAT IS AN OMNIUM?

Best described as cycling’s own version of the decathlon, the Omnium tests the all round track racing abilities of each competitor demanding skill, speed, endurance and tactical abilities in order to win. Riders score points according to their placing in each event with fewer points awarded the higher the placing. The rider with the lowest number of points overall wins.

The Omnium at the Track World Cup consists of:

Flying 1 lap time trial

Points race 20 km for women

Elimination

Individual pursuit 3000m for women

Scratch race

500m time trial

A couple random photos:

This store was so busy at the airport. We discovered that those walls are packed full of duck... in a bag. ?? Spring festivals are next week in Beijing.

The local landscaper and he wheels.

This was how I kept track of my "countdown" until I was back in Boulder. How many more meal cards?