2 random & fun things

I know, I know... I owe you pictures and a race report from the Manchester World Cup. Don't worry, as soon as you forget about it, I will post something.

Right now I am in Mill Valley, CA at Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY 12 Team Camp... worthy of 5 blog posts a day. That is the product of the problem... I don't have time to post!

So, here are my two quick/fun/random things for today:

Erin, my neice, posted the fastest Super G time in her age group... even beating the boys! I am hoping that one day she teaches me to ski and doesn't laugh.

Second, the posse in Blaine, MN who run the Fixed Gear Classic did a great promo video. Check it out by clicking on this sentence (I need to explain these things to some family members.)

If you have never raced this velodrome, you are missing out. No, not like "you are missing out if you have never race Alpenrose." It's an entirely different kind of "missing out." Smooth, 250m, outdoor, not as many tattoos or piercings.... you get it.

Last year I pulled off winning both the endurance and the sprint omniums. That was a TON of racing in 3 days. This year... who knows?!?

Anything better then Boulder?

Not to me!

What do you do when you have three days at home every month?

Well...it is really busy! I often get questions about logistics...and "all the other stuff" that is involved with being a professional cyclist. Today involves a mountain of laundry...do you bother to wash a shredded National Team skinsuit? Feels wrong putting the stars and stripes in the trash...without a small ceremony of folding and firing off a rifle into the air! With that started (and two showers to put some jet lag behind me), I unfortunately have to open the bike box, dig out my beautiful Felt TK1 (that now looks like it has been to battle...and has!), and take it to University Bikes for Doug Emerson's group of merry mechanics to go over it and make sure it is ready to ride another day. Good News...the bike is good...but the new Zipp Super 9 "Short Range Ballistic Missile" rear disc is now ready for discus toss in the street. It is now 10:30, I am have passed on a couple jars of PB&Co to the guys that keep me on two wheels...and pretty happy about it!

Now what? What day is it...and how many more hours do I have in Boulder before headed to team camp in CA? Small pleasure...trip to Great Harvest for a fresh loaf of bread and a hot sample with honey! Off to the chiropractor for the cold laser thanks to Dr. Boyton. They were good enough to call and check on me this morning...yep, same as last time you saw me, beat up from sliding across the track and ready for some body voodoo! Then home for some some lunch...hot bowl of Greg's Moosewood Brazilian black bean soup with lots of cilantro...gotta feed the machine!

Nap! Maybe. Build up the road bike and get ready to head over to Boulder Center for Sports Medicine with four pairs of shoes for a cleat fitting with Sean. Ah yes, getting on the bike and feeling like a lab rat! Done? Check in at Coach Neal's office...more PB&Co to deliver (or beer)!

I thought I didn't have anything to do today and it is a full-off rest day? If I'm lucky, the sun will be going down and I'll be wandering down to Pearl Street to see some Boulder amigos that I haven't seen since...what month is it?

Who knew there was so much to it!

Race reports and pictures from Beijing coming soon. Maybe tomorrow I will have more brain function.

Where in the world?

From Beijing, I went home to Boulder for a week. The plan was to have a wonderful, relaxing week at home with Greg. Although I am happy to be home whenever possible, I wasn't too much fun to live with while I suffered with the "Beijing funk" that kept me miserably sick all week. Not much fun when you are also dealing with some wacky jet lag. So much for doing something fun for Greg's birthday!! (I lost some big points that week)

Right as the cold snap of the century was hitting Boulder, I hopped on a plane and headed back to LA for more track camp fun.

I didn't want to rub it in... actually never even mentioned it on my calls home... but the weather in LA was PERFECT! While Boulder was struggling to get above 0 degrees, LA was flirting with 70 degrees.

Travel day beach ride... hello sunshine!

We normally don't get out much at track camp. A typical day looks like this:

- eat

- morning road ride

- eat

- afternoon track training

- eat

- sleep

The only variation is whether track or road is morning or afternoon... oh, and, who is in charge of cooking our team dinner. (Thank goodness KMac has joined the team... we had all run out of creative ideas for Extended Stay dinners.)

BUT... this camp, we actually carved out an afternoon and did something FUN!

Yes! The famous Dave Towle joined us for an afternoon on the Grey's Anatomy set.

If you didn't believe me....

More interesting then the set... Patrick Dempsey's Mercedes Gullwing

If one day of fun wasn't enough... we had a road ride scheduled another day. Wait, let me explain. We had a road ride scheduled without also having track training scheduled. Driven by the desire to see more then stoplights and concrete, we jumped in the car and drove out to Pasadena to join our friend Peyton for some long hours in the sun!

Ah, brakes, hills, sun, gears... something out of the ordinary! Thanks Peyton!

So, that was last week in pictures. I am now sitting in Manchester, UK getting prepared for the last World Cup of the season. The winter has flown by and reflection brings many positive thoughts!