It is going to be hard to leave the beach and the sunshine out here in California. It has been awesome avoiding winter. As my friends and training buddies have been layering up with clothes, I have just been layering up with sunscreen out here in SoCal. I have been down to the beach three times this week and tomorrow will be the last for awhile as I head back to the altitude of snowy Colorado.

The Pre-Season training is almost over and the season is nearing quickly. This weekend will be the end of another great week of training and will cap it off with a race in Yuma, Arizona of all places. It will be great to come back to Durango and visit the friends and family before heading off to team camp in Georgia.

I hope that the Georgia weather will be as nice as it has been here in California. I am to soft now to have to wear a hat and gloves. What a wuss! Our camp is 10 days long and it will be great to meet the new mates and catch up with the mates from last year. I am looking forward to it.

I threw up some new pics, not much else going on. There are a few pictures of the new kit, it grows on you. Let me know what you think.

This picture pretty much sums up the Valley of the Sun weekend in Phoenix. Basically we were cursed from the get go out there. Barely made the start times for the tt. Ben won the time trial, then lost the jersey only to be taken out in the crit with 5 laps to go. Ben ended up with a broken collarbone because some idiot (wont say who) took him out.. Then we get a blow out while passing a semi on the way home. A strange trip and one that I will have no problem forgetting.

My first Valley of the Sun experience wasn’t the best, but it wasstill a good time to catch up with some good friends out on the roads and a mean BBQ at Austin’s place. The Kings have been having an annual BBQ after the road race for 13 years. Barney King is a master behind the grill.

Bit of rest now in San Diego. Ride out to the Beach tomorrow, a bit of coffee, a bit of sunshine. Aaaaahhh!

Suited up for my first ever go at Valley of the Sun yesterday.  It is a great story and I will save it, but we almost didn’t make it to the race.  Cody actually missed his start time, but Neil and I made it with about 4 minutes to spare.  We suited up in the van and registered, threw the number on, GO!  I can now say that warming up is definitely a necessity.  I ran 20th Neil just a close 3rd on team G.C.  The new guy, Ben Kneller stole the show with his fast time trialing skills and also his fashion. 

I am not one to talk because I have no style, but we need a fashion liaison in cycling or something.  I will post some pictures from the podium.  Kneller up there wearing the sandals with white socks.  If you got it, you got to flaunt it huh. 

The road race was today.  Neil and Cody rode the front all day and brought back a 16 man break that had over 2 minutes at one point.  I was in the box a little bit toward the end. Tried to keep Ben up there in the jersey at the front.  We still have the jersey but are in a tie on paper because of Bonus Sprints.  It will be tough to hold onto.  We will see what happens.  More later and some good pics of our epic drive over the dirt road pass to avoid the closed interstate and sneak on past the blockade.  We wouldn’t have made it if we didn’t sneak around. 

Next week I will be house sitting for my teammate Neil’s in-laws here in the San Diego area. I am psyched because it gives me a free place to crash for another week of training and i even get a little cash for saving them the trouble of putting the dogs in a kennel. Here is the catch and the possible “deal breaker”. There is a snake loose in the house. That’s right a snake. Neil’s father in-law was in the process of feeding the snake when the phone rang. He left the cage open and when he returned the snake was gone. Apparently the snake is not to large and I am not too afraid of them, but it might be a bit of a shocker when I find him in the couch or in the bed. Looking forward to that one!
This weekend is going to be the first real test of the early season form. The Valley of the Sun stage race in Phoenix. I am going into the race pretty cracked after some big weeks and I am still hitting it this week. The time trial went well and I was only 32 seconds of the winner (Neil) who had full aero set up so either we are both creeping or going alright. Looking forward to it. Couple new pics up but nothing exciting. Lame post, but should be creative some day.

I pinned the numbers on for the first time in the 08 season yesterday and ripped into a two hour crit in Imperial, California.  The field was strong but small.  I rolled over there with a my teammates Neil and Cody after logging in a couple hours of good training that morning.  My goal was to just hang on.  Afte Neil and Cody made the first break that lasted an hour it got brought back with about 40 minutes to go.  I attacked and went solo for a lap when Karl Bourdine (Spelling) came accross. He was stong and killed me at the line.  I honestly went the fastestin a sprint I have ever gone and he still got me.  I ended up getting second, Cody 3rd, Neil 4th.  More later, I am off to a time trial this morning.  Off to a fun start of 08 season.