Riding First Class
Posted by cgmride | Filed under Life, Racing, USA Cycling Development Team
Since finishing the Vuelta A Ciclista Palencia on high note, with Daniel Holoway taking the final stage win, I have been riding in First Class on the recovery bus. You might say, “Rollin’ like a big shot…” on the recovery bus. Halfway through Palencia, the UCI sent some vampires to suck 2 vials of blood from each of the riders in the race. While the primary objective was testing for any signs of doping, the UCI also took time to check on everyone’s blood and mineral levels. Turns out I was probably one of the more tired riders in the race, with my hematocrit down 18% from normal rested levels. By the end of the race, I was maybe another one or two percentage points lower.
Wednesday was a day of traveling and sleeping for me. After getting up early, we drove 4 hours to the airport, where I enjoyed a 2 hour nap, er, I mean flight. Arriving in Belgium, we all enjoyed a small bit of ice-cream before jumping into a bus for the drive back to our house in Izegem. No sooner than I climbed in the bus, did I pass out, only to wake up as we took the exit ramp from the freeway into Izegem. After dinner, I got caught up on a few e-mails and tweets before spending a few hours at the square (towne center) with Cole House and Chris Butler. Coming off a big block of racing, it was nice to get out and relax for a bit. We all enjoyed a little Belgian brew before returning to the house to pass out.
A team of 7 riders plus staff, pac along A LOT of gear. After the vehicles returned from Spain and unloaded, this is what our Service Course looked like. Lots to unpack and put away.
From Thursday through today, the days have been pretty relaxed for me. With double-digit hours of sleep coming almost daily, along with a few short rides, and a daily napping session, my batteries are finally starting to feel recharged. When not sleeping away nearly half of the day, I spent a good deal of time in my bed or on the couch with my computer. I always laugh at how many quality hours us cyclists can kill with a computer (or phone) and a good internet connection. While most people back home have a hard time comprehending the laziness of a cyclist, we all embrace the world of technology, for its great ability to kill vast amounts of time. David Millar recetnly wrote a great blog about killing time. As a cyclist it was funny to read about someone else, who’s daily routine was so familiar to me, yet one that many cannot fathom. One of my recent time-killing discoveries has been the world of literature. Surprisingly enough, I generally love to exercise my gift of gab, yet find in painfully difficult to finish a book. Recently, I have found Out of The Silent Plant, the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy, to be an oasis from my electronic world.
Several rides this past week involved stopping at the coffee shop. While the coffee tends to not be as volumous as what I have become accustomed to back home, they definitely know how to make a good cup of coffee. All the extra's are a nice complimentary touch too.
When not behind the glow of my computer screen, or reading, I found another great way to pass time. Some will understand what is happening with this deck of cards. Others will wonder. I still need a lot of practice...
This afternoon I get back into the swing of racing with a 110km kermesse. The next three weeks will be packed full of kermesse races, internet, and my electronics before I fly home to kick off my off season, er, rather cyclo-cross season.
Keep the Rubber Side Down,
C-
2 Responses to “Riding First Class”
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DG Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 17:23By brew, I am sure you mean coffee…. Brewed coffee.
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cgmride Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 03:46yeah, the Euro’s do coffee a bit different than our gargantous servings back home, but a nice little cup full of body coffee hits the spot every time.
