Penticton to Apex

Climbing for two hours to Apex.


A small child could fall in between these bars. I played it safe and didn't take the cattleguards at speed coming down.


Marie Danais and Dave Harju. Two of my favorite people and impressive athletes.


Race morning swim start.


Here is what our set-up looks like.


Not a bad place to work on bikes for the week! I'd say its better than Hawaii. In Hawaii I can hear the ocean but I'm not looking right onto the beach like this location.

Penticton, BC, Canada – I love this place! We are leaving this morning to head back to Wisconsin (as soon as Ben finally gets out of bed). Ironman events are always busy but you tend to miss it once its over. The week went well. I only had a total of 3 athletes competing so I had plenty of time to dial in their bikes, catch up on gluing tires (I think I finally have all the team Bontrager Discs, Aeolus 6.5 and 5.0, and Carbon Aero’s rubbered up), and help some other athletes with their bikes. Not to brag but the women’s winner, Belinda Granger, received some of my handy work. Oh yeah! Who’s the man? I was hoping she might mention me during her awards speech. Not so. I’m always hoping on behalf of all us mechanics out there that we get mentioned once in awhile. Just as the top athletes make their efforts seem easy, I get the impression that I make my work look simple, so much so that our expertise gets forgotten. I also got to help an athlete friend from back east. I really enjoy helping people like Tanya because she is so grateful knowing that her bike will work awesome come race day (and the fact that she brought me lunch a few times). That is the best example of what we mechanics in the bike world provide for our athletes. Worry free bike operation. The athletes only have to worry about performing their best.

Besides the “work” end of things, the highlights of my week stay in Penticton were the rides I went on. It is beautiful around here and cycling in my opinion is the best way to experience a place. The best ride I did was up to the Apex ski resort. I had heard it was a good ride but I did not know much more than that. It took me about 2 hours to get there with only one climb. The whole ride was uphill. Wow! Climbing for two hours when you’re not prepared makes it an epic ride. After 1 ½ hours of climbing in the heat my bottles were empty, and I began to get that up and down self-talk going. Around each switchback I would hope I’d see some kind of sign indicating a ski area. Finally in the distance I saw a ski lift so I felt like I was getting closer at last. Also along the way I had to turn around a bit and wait for a bear which was walking down the road. Eventually a car came by and he scooted off into the woods. I did a little interval effort and made some babbling noise as I went past his location and saw the brush moving around. The next 50 yards was a high level three effort to put on some distance. Phew! Recover, recover! Okay, so like I said, I got to Apex. The bar/restaurant was the only place I could find to buy something to drink so I saddled up to the bar in full riding kit, including my helmet, and asked for “two cokes please.” Ah! Two pints of cokes on ice in five minutes and I was back in the saddle. The descent back into town was awesome. Two hours up and 45 minutes down. The only thing I had to slow down for was a few switchbacks, a stop sign, and three cattle guards which looked a little dangerous if I would have hit them at speed. One of the best rides EVER!

Time to get in the truck and start driving. I think Ben might be getting up now.

He Has My Clothes On!

Here is another one of those catching up blog entries. My adventures are so numerous and widespread that I hope I remember all the key points of the past three weeks.

After the Altoona race we headed to Winston Salem, NC to stay with one of Shuler’s teammates from back in the day, Thomas Craven. The home stay was great for relaxing. Tom has a cool dog, Pielot, that was fun to play with. He was always up for a good for a game of tug the rope and chase.

Everyone really enjoyed the top of the line espresso machine too. Apparently the ladies went through $100.00 worth of coffee in the 4 days we were there. Wow! I had a few coffee’s myself but not that many. The one thing I remember was how hot the weather was. The heat index was 105 degrees. The newspaper said we were supposed to go to the mall or library, anything other than go outside. I guess no one read the same warning because we were found riding bikes with the rest of the local cyclists. The nice thing about cycling is you create your own wind so it wasn’t stifling hot until you had to stop at a red light to wait.

The whole reason we were down south was to race the Charlotte Bank of America criterium. Tina won again with great support from the rest of the team. She even got one of those oversized checks on the podium. Not every race has those. I consider it a true sign of being a pro when you get one of those (and a hefty bonus for me. Not bad for a few hours of work. That’s like making a lawyers hourly wage. Too bad it’s not like that all the time). The check ended up in the van, which meant I had to take care of it the rest of the way back to Milwaukee. It took on a little personality all its own so I made sure it experienced some of my road tripping lifestyle.


After some celebration of Tina’s victory, I headed out the next morning for a little Doug time on the way back to Team Sports (Milwaukee). I planned on some mountain biking and camping in West Virginia but the weather was quite rainy there so I ended up going to Jim Thorpe, PA. I was a little disappointed with the riding in Jim Thorpe. It was fine but I thought it would be a little better scene wise. Never saw another person riding and the local shop was not helpful at all about where to ride. The weather was good and the camping was fine too. Not a bad time. I just wouldn’t go back.




After the camping I made a quick visit to see some riding friends and do some road riding in Connecticut. Shane and Athena are great friends. We always catch up by going on long rides. This time it was a 5-hour jaunt. Nice! We did manage to get in a one and a half hour mountain bike ride and a one hour rode ride to prove we could do short rides too.




Eventually I made it back to Team Sports just in time for the Tuesday night mountain bike ride. This is one of the coolest rides in such an urban setting. The cast of characters included Eric (Targetraining mechanic), Ben Harper (the Timex Team manger, not the musician), Tom Schuler (the big cheese), and myself (the ?).

The next couple of days were spent at Team Sports getting organized for a Timex trip to British Columbia and one more race with the Colavita/Cooing Light ladies at Crit Nationals in Downers Grove, IL. Boring stuff to write about, but all-important to getting the job done. Most of what I do is inventory management. Making sure the teams have what they need for equipment and what I need to cover any repairs and what not. The actual bike work probably occupies a small percentage at certain times.

Team Sports had some craziness surrounding it one day while I was there. The short version is that Ben and I caught a guy stealing my clothes from the storage area. He was trying to change his appearance by changing clothes because the police were looking for him. Apparently he shoplifted some stuff from the Walgreen’s down the street. What makes it funny is that when I saw the “thief” walking away in my red sweat pants (The Commonwealth Games pants that Audrey gave me), Park Tool t-shirt, and my running shoes, I ran to tell Ben to call the police before confronting him. I believe my exact words to Ben were “Call the police, HE HAS MY CLOTHES ON!” It has become the catch phrase around the office now. “Call the police. He has my clothes on!” The emphasis should be placed on the “he has my clothes on” part to seem funny. After confronting the worst thief in Milwaukee, he apologized for “borrowing” my clothes and changed back into his own jeans, t-shirt, and shoes while I informed him the police were on their way. I bid him adieu with a lecture about how he “just can’t come in here and take my clothes, dude!” The police picked him up down the street and for about two hours they were poking around the neighborhood looking for the stuff he had stolen and stashed somewhere. Since the incident was the talk of the town I had to re-tell it about 10 times that day including at the barbecue to the assembled masses at Schuler’s house. Now that its on the blog I feel I’m done with the whole incident.


For you fans of cycling you probably already know what happened at Crit Nationals. Tina has won this race (and the National Champion designation) the last 4 years. A nasty crash in the last corner before the line kept her from this year’s win. But she’ll be the first to say that’s all part of racing bikes. She is a class act for sure and she’ll be back next year. Once in awhile the team fills in spots with guest riders for an event. Such was the case at Crit Nationals. I had the pleasure of meeting Kele M. and Allison Powers. It was nice to get to know some other riders other than the ones you always see. Excellent job ladies!

Immediately after the race we had a team lunch. These are the times that are fun within the team atmosphere because in effect we are not “working” and can just have some laughs. Great people are everywhere and fortunately they are on this team and we all share some goofy times together. It’s true when they say winning isn’t everything.



After the lunch I said some goodbye to the ladies (It was the probably the last event we’d all be together until next year) and I climbed into the Timex truck to start driving to Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. That’s what I’ve been doing the last three days. Driving with Ben (and typing this entry). There is not enough room in the cab to properly stretch the legs so we are both looking forward to it being over. We are almost to the Canadian border. Which is the last major hurdle because we have to declare all the stuff that’s on the truck and have the proper paperwork in order. Oh please let there be nice border guards!

See ya,
DOUG

Philosophy moment

"A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labour and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both."
-Francois Auguste Rene Chateaubrand

Altoona remembered...I think

Bike racing is all about bleeding from your eyeballs.





Audrey wanted to trade in her bike for Peggy's trike.






I was trying to design a new head cooling system. Granted it is just a prototype right now.






The first one up and the last one to floor/bed. Being a team mechanic is hardly ever having a proper place to sleep.





Real briefly, this is what I remember from the Altoona Stage Race (7 days, Altoona, Pennsylvania).

Arriving Monday morning at 11:15 am and "working" 12 to 14 hour days for the next 7 days. Or so it seemed. Immediately upon arrival I was presented with a broken fork and a request to set up a spare bike for Tina because the airline temporarily lost her bikes. Welcome Doug grab a wrench!

Hot weather and thunderous downpours.

20 second wheel change.

Not eating much. I must have ate something with a dirty hand. I just don't remember. I bought two Lipton Sweetened Iced Teas (blue label) almost everyday.

I remember the blank stare from a rider who crashed. After asking three times if she was okay to continue and eliciting no response, I didn't know what to do except pick up her bike to fix it. (Don't worry, She wasn't bleeding out any body openings or screaming in pain). Its what I do!

Several stage wins and high placings. The green points jersey.

Water bottle thrown in an open window. Good shot Meshy!

Wondering how many times TRIA is going to feed. AAAAAAGH! (inside joke, sorrry)

Tire inflation pumps. 26 wheels. 676 pumps a day. 4,732 pumps for the week. I'm here to pump...you up!

Cheers,
DOUG

Stupid Computer!

Hello all my faithful readers!

This is the second time I've written this little tag line. The first was about 2 hours ago when I first started catching up on the last three weeks of my life. During the spell check something happenned in Microsoft Word and it was taken from me. I had saved it and everything. I'm so disappointed and cannot go back and write it again. I'm going to just post a few pictures from the last few weeks. AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!


Me and my good friends Athena and Shane in Lake Placid. Great people these two. I received the best compliment ever from Athena about my writing (She is a teacher and author). Shane has upgraded to semi-pro mountain bike class. Watch out!


More good friends in Lake Placid. Christine and Jodi. Oh the stories we could tell!


Ironman Lake Placid swim start.


The guy in the helmet is Ben. He is special and runs the Timex Multisport Team.


Cheers,
DJB

Last day of vacation

Today is my last day of vacation. I know, I know some people in my family probably think I'm on a constant vacation. it just so happens that I travel and work on bikes for my job. I do work you know. I happen to be lucky that I get to have a cool job such as this.



Anyways, as I said, I'm considering today my last day of vacation. I've had a about a week of down time since I left Pennsylvania. First I stopped in Rochester, NY to visit with my family. Did a few bike rides there. I took my camera with me but there was nothing notable to take pictures of except my nephew playing soccer. Soccer is a great game. I played as a kid and was never far from having a ball bouncing around my feet.



Since Thursday I've been hanging out in Lake Placid until I meet up with the Timex team for Ironman Lake Placid. On the drive from Rochester to Lake placid I decided to take the scenic route through the mountains instead of the most direct route mainly because I had the time. I took the wrong road and ended up having to drive on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere that probably added about 1 1/2 hours to the drive. Oops! Sorry old van!



Until about a year ago (1992-2005), I called Lake Placid my home so I have plenty of friends to visit and catch up with. The first night in town I joined the traditional Thursday night training ride. I was a little nervous about my conditioning as the warm up lap got my heart rate up. Luckily the race was pretty sane and my attempt to bridge on the "golf course hill" shattered the main field and I was able to sprint like a man in slow motion for third. My pal Eric G. was on the ride whom I haven't seen in a year or two since he lives in Boston. The rest of my "vacation" has revolved around riding my bike and visiting with friends and watching the tour. On Sunday I rode my bike from 10 am until 7:09 pm in 94 degree temps. That was a lot of bike riding.



There is nothing better than riding all day with great friends. Shane and Athena are visiting from Connecticut and we often catch up by going on epic bike rides. None of us had bike computers but let's just say we did 100 miles. Doing stuff like that with those two are some of my fondest memories because you can always look back on those times and reminisce. One time we did a ride in Vermont that ended up being about 150 miles. At the base of the last climb to get back to where we were staying we were so hungry that we stopped at this country store and ate an insane amount of junk food just to survive the rest of the way. Ah yeah good times, good times! A tally of yesterday's ride looks like a junk bonanza too. No worries since the riding burned it off in 20 minutes. (bagel, gatorade meal shake, 2 diet cokes, 6 bottles of Gatorade, 3 bottles of plain water, 1 Stewarts hamburger with bacon, 1 Lipton iced tea, 1 Lipton Mango iced tea, 1 ham sandwich, 3 GU's, and 1 Payday) Umm delicious!


Joe is a good friend of mine who makes really cool carbon fiber canoes. I've been staying at his house and trying to get a feel on how to build carbon canoes. Pretty neat shop he has.


Kelsey is my best friend and we got to catch up on this trip. A really creative and soulful person and I'm grateful to have her as a friend.


A bonking moment for me. Good thing I have a bottle of diet coke to finish off.


I have never seen a sign like this except in Lake Placid.

I'm heading out for a ride. See ya!

Tales from the feed zone

A moment with Maddie!


Maddie and Heather - A mother and daughter moment.


Hey everyone,

[This was composed several days ago but only got to some wireless today]

I’m coming at you from the feed zone at the national championship road race in Seven Springs, PA. Usually I’m not in such a position but there is no caravan, so I’m observing the race from the world of the feed zone and handing up bottles to the riders.

Much of the season I don’t see the feed zone atmosphere. The soigneurs all know each other and have their ways of passing the time just as the mechanics have their day’s stories and ways of passing time. In today’s zone there have been friendly bets going around such as guessing the first lap time (I missed it by two minutes, shucks!), the rider composition of the early break, the final top three, and my favorite was affectionately called “the runner.” Proper etiquette when feeding is to remain in one spot and not run along side of the rider. Unfortunately, sometimes an inexperienced person is involved in the feeding process and performs the no-no of running. So before the pack arrives the teams gather to whisper about who just might be “the runner.” Because everyone who is feeding is lined up on the side of the road, there is basically no room for someone to run backwards while concentrating on a rider. Either this person gets in everyone’s way or in the worst case they take them self out by tripping and end up with their butt on the ground. Ah, good stuff, good stuff! Just to let you know, there was a runner!

I guess it was just last week I was in Massachusetts for the Fitchburg Stage Race. I don’t remember much about it other than we actually won the overall. After awhile all the racing blurs together and you can’t remember the details. It’s like remembering what you had for dinner the night before. You know you ate but it takes awhile to remember exactly what.

Spent the 4th of July in Vernon, NJ on the way to Pennsylvania with the Lebances (Heather, Bill, and Maddie). I went on some good rides. The road to her house is the steepest hill I think I’ve ever ridden. It must be 25%. The first couple of pedal strokes I kept popping the front wheel off the ground. Now I can say I’ve done it once!

Pennsylvania hasn’t been too stressful. I only have 4 riders and only a time trial and road race to deal with. With time for myself to ride my bike and no time constraints the bike work has been enjoyable in the evenings. It’s satisfying to dial in a nice clean bike. A good bike just has a certain feeling and sound that mechanics recognize the minute it gets taken off the work stand.

In the evenings I’ve become a Ruby Tuesday regular for the past three nights since they have the Tour de France coverage on their TV (our hotel doesn’t have the channel its on).
There has been a little group doing the same. None of the waitresses understand the fascination with the sport and its useless to try and explain to a non-cyclist so we just stare at the television and order some food.

After the race today we are headed to Pittsburgh for the airport runs in the early morning and then I’m getting a little break until I need to rendezvous in Lake Placid for the Iron man. Most likely I’ll be spending my break in Lake Placid and riding my bike and watching the TOUR! I may even take my watch off!

See ya,
DJB

Still Can't Sleep

Here are some more photos from the last month or so.


Eric (Targetraining) has no time for the paparazzi!


Um! I was sitting there cat!


John Ecks, Jean Brennan, and Tina's dad, Albert!


How does the self timer on this camera work again?


Okay everyone! I think I figured out the self timer thing. Get ready!

Trying to sleep

Group photo in front of Floyd Landis's childhood home


Going up the Manayunk Wall at Philly. Lots of people and they only get more intoxicated and louder as the day goes on.


Learning to scratch behind the ear.


Sarah with her impression of slipping on a banana peel.


I thought I'd post some pics and reflect on my day off in Lake Placid since I can't sleep. I've been all about comfortable beds lately. I think I'll start a rating system. I'm staying with my friends Joe and Jan in Lake Placid and I have to give the guest room bed a solid 7 (1-10 scale) which means its darn good. I slept till 8:00am this morning which is also a sign that it is quiet here too. Lake Placid is such a gem of a place. It hasn't been ruined too much. Someday it may but it is still small enough and out of the way. I was a little bummed to see that a Starbucks coffee is opening up on Main Street. Tourists will love it but I think it is out of place. It's the corporate stuff i don't like seeing. While i'm on the subject of Starbucks I think their latte's are lame too. I'm not the expert but I definetly like the espresso poured over the milk rather than putting milk on top of the espresso. I feel like they rush it. Like I said I'm not a barrista so someone correct me if I'm wrong about the technique.

It was pouring rain in Lake Placid today so I was not that motivated to go for a ride. This gave me the chance to do laundry, catch up with some friends, vacuum the van, Febreeze the van (it smelled like sweaty people), do some blogging, etc. Went to the Lake Plaicid Pub and Brewery for dinner with some friends and a couple of the riders who are here too. Saw more of my friends there too. Lake Placid feels like home to me. Spoke to a couple of local fellas that competed in their first Olympics this past winter. I've known them since they were junior skiers so it was interesting to hear about their stories and catch up on what the Biathlon scene is like for them. Although it's a winter sport I noticed similarities with the stuff cyclists go through with all the training and travel.

All in all it was a good day of catching up. Looking forward to coming back in 2 weeks for an extended stay to do some riding and more catching up.

Cheers,
DJB

Couer D'Alene

Riding in Idaho was awesome!

I started the ride down there.

More riding!

MY SPACE!

The swim start. Looks daunting and beautiful all at the same time.

For about the last week I’ve been in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho for the Ironman Triathlon event. Coeur D’Alene is a beautiful place and I had enough time for a few bike rides out into the mountains and along the lakes that are in the region. On Wednesday we did the expo set-up, which went well since we had 4 people this time. Keith, Ben (the new manager of the team) Shane (the intern) and myself. I had 10 athlete’s bikes to go over before Saturday and one complete build for another guy spread over 3 days so the workload was busy but manageable. No major bike concerns. The athletes brought their bikes clean to me, which was much appreciated. I think my seminar in April worked. I wonder if they thought I would charge them the “dirty bike charge?” My only stumper was a Power Tap that stopped working. Not being all that familiar with them do they ever work consistently?

On race day I spent some time re-charging my batteries with a nap and went for a bike ride. In the evening I went back to the finish line venue to hang for a while. I highly recommend anyone to check one out someday. It’s such a great vibe at these things. It’s not about winning. Most of the 2000 athletes know they are not there to win so the pressure is within oneself to just finish and have a great day. There are so many variables that can happen, even if you’ve trained right, so the attitude to except whatever comes your way is the biggest lesson to learn. For example, my pal Cassidy Phillips was on track for a personal best and within minutes he passed out at mile 14. Twice he refused medical attention. Many cups of chicken broth later he was able to finish. I happened to see him finish and he looked like he was a zombie and had to be carried away. After an IV to hydrate him he was back walking around and hanging out at the truck. Man!

I’m currently waiting to board a plane in Chicago that has been delayed. Jim is picking me up in Albany, NY and then driving up to Lake Placid to rendezvous with the van. Tuesday will be a day off spent in Lake Placid so I’m pretty psyched to catch up with some friends and go for a ride (if its not raining). Wednesday I drive over to Massachusetts for the Fitchburg stage race.

Wow! It’s almost July. Do you know what that means? TOUR DE FRANCE time. I’m not ready to make any predictions since I feel like I’ve been out of the loop lately. Of course Basso is a consideration. Landis is my sentimental favorite but maybe in the top three. Ulrich MAY put one in but I think he may falter to Basso.

Congratulations to my niece Kristin who got married this past Saturday in Buffalo, NY. I was in Idaho so wasn't able to attend another family function. Have fun on your honeymoon Kristin!

Here are a few photos from this past Ironman week. I still have to post some from the last month and will try to do that soon. Keep checking back.

BERNOUT!

Hail storm uses. Instant ice.

I'm not going out there! It was tough to watch the bikes get blown over and see ice balls bouncing off the tubes.

The team holding the tent so it didn't blow away.


Hello!

I see that the last time I posted was quite a while ago. I’ve had little time to keep up with the blog. I won’t mumble and grumble about it, but this has been the burnout time of the season. The races come one after the other which require travel logistics on top of keeping the bikes race ready. It can really affect ones state of mind with all the traveling, staying organized, and sleeping on floors. Sleeping in a bed is so much appreciated these days. I must be getting older because I used to be able to sleep on a concrete slab with no bad affects. I remember the day weeks ago I knew I was in trouble with the “burnout” when it took me 1.5 hours to drive a half hour drive because I couldn’t concentrate enough to follow the road signs. Then to top it off I stopped at a grocery store to buy some juice and snacks. When I got to the house I was staying at I realized I’d left most of the items at the store because I only grabbed the one bag. I really wanted that juice too! I felt a little better knowing my comrades on the other various teams had similar feelings of burnout even some of the riders too.

I have to thank Chris Davidson. I hope you’re still reading my blog buddy. I read his diary entry last night on cyclingnews.com and it reminded me that I have a cool job even if it’s draining at times. Glad to hear he felt similar after connecting with another cycling enthusiast he met. For you cycling geeks give it a read. It’s a good insight into the world of mechanics and a Dickies spokes model.

I think the “burnout” may be behind me so I’ll try and fill in the blanks of the last several weeks. Keep checking back. Right now I’m traveling to Idaho in the TIMEX truck for an Ironman. Shane picked me up in St.Paul, Minnesota an hour after the last stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Talk about switching gears. One moment I’m Colavita/Cooking Light and the next I transition into Timex. At least with two of us driving I get to sleep and replenish some brain cells

Since I’m coming off of a 5-day stage race that is what’s fresh in my memory (anything before that I’ll update later with some pictures probably). This year’s race will go down in the journal as epic. Mostly because of the weather (thunder storms, hail, wind) which tested the ladies fortitude and legs. Unfortunately we did not have luck on our side for this race. Oh well that’s racing. An un-timely crash and chase in the crosswinds hurt our overall team strength a bit. Although I’m not a runner, when one of my girls is in a crash or needs a wheel change (which by the way is not often) adrenaline takes over and I turn into Carl Lewis sprinting from the car with wheel sets in arms. We even orchestrated a sweet bike swap in about 15 seconds. Nice! It’s quite a rush but I really should train for such moments with a little more stretching because one day I may blow a hamstring. Jim posted some great race reports, which I will plagiarize because they say it all.


Hard day in the saddle

by Jim Williams

The second stage of the Nature Valley Grand prix was nothing short of epic. The day played out like stories and lore of days past. A huge wind greeted the 130 women who lined up for the start of the Cannon Falls road race and the Colavita/Cooking Light team had its sights set on winning the stage and gaining the 15 second time bonus to move Tina Pic up on the GC to challenge for the overall win. What seemed like a reasonable plan was derailed like a speeding freight train on a kids toy track. Colavita/Cooking Light's first mishap of the day occurred when Sarah Tillotson was able to miss a crash that occurred in front of her only to be slammed from behind by a rider who had her head down and was not watching ahead. Sarah quickly got on her bike and started pedaling but soon needed a bike change as her derailleur was close to getting stuck in the spokes of the wheel. At the same time as this was happening Gina Grain also had the misfortune of getting hit from behind and dragging a rider, whose handle bars that were stuck in her wheel, for about 50 feet. It wasn’t but another mile or two up the road that another crash occurred in the vicious cross winds and this time Meshy Holt, nursing a sore tailbone from her crash in Philly once again went down, also involved was Tina Pic who had tried to ride her bike but was unable. Realizing that GC threat Pic was down, the Lipton team went to the front of the field and drove the pace taking advantage of the misfortune of the Colavita/ Cooking Light Riders, and attempting to eliminate GC threat Pic. Teammates Iona Wynter, Sarah Tillotson and Sima Trapp dropped back to pace their team leader but the chase back on was interrupted by a 2 and a half mile cross wind gravel section which detonated the Lipton lead field. When the damage was finally surveyed, there were 4 groups on the road and only Sue Palmer Komar had made the front selection. With the majority of the Colavita/Cooking Light Team driving the third group, a desperate chase ensued but would never come back together. On the finishing circuits Sue Palmer Komar fought hard and was able to finish 6th on the stage and moved up to 5th on GC. While the Colavita/Cooking Light Team seems to have had a bomb go of in its string of good luck the team will continue to defend Sue’s GC position and go for stage wins as the tour continues.


Gina Grain celebrates birthday with 3rd place finish and a storm for the ages

by Jim Williams

The Nature Valley Grand prix is turning into a survival contest for the Colavita/Cooking Light Team. Tonight was supposed to be a downtown cycling celebration in Minneapolis but it turned into a little bit of everything with an emphasis on wet and wild adventure. One hour before the race a sprinkle started from what was expected to be a quick passing thunderstorm. The sprinkle grew to a hard rain and then to sideways sheets of rain. The staff had set up the temporary race camp sandwiched next to 2 big buildings and huddled under their race tent with Sue Palmer Komar and Gina Grain to weather the storm through. The rest of the team was out warming up and had to seek shelter in a bus stop. Every minute when the rains seemed as though they should be letting up they some how managed to come down harder until the rain turned to hail and then the hail got larger and larger. Form the loosely protected area those in the tent were able to watch tents from other teams blow apart and then had to run out and rescue equipment that began floating away after the streets flooded over the sidewalk. Sue Palmer Komar the wise experienced racer put on her race helmet to protect her from the flying chunks of ice and Gina Grain laughed and claimed, “this is the best birthday present ever” When the storm finally passed and the damage surveyed, the only lose for the Cola vita/Cooking Light team were the race radio’s that got a drenching even though they had been put in zip lock bags. The upcoming race was shortened and for the third year in a row would be contested on slippery wet roads. Nerves were high as a wet crit course usually means crashes but the team had been equipped with high friction Michelin rain tires and everyone stayed up right during the race which was fast and aggressive and strung out single file for its duration. Colavita/Cooking Light rode a conservative race and at the end rain specialist Gina Grain gave it a go at the line and was able to earn a spot on the podium and even more reason for the team to celebrate with her. .