Redlands red-eye

Well we're in Redlands, California for the Redlands classic, a, well, classic 4 day stage race. Been around for a long time and very hard. Not only for the racers who flog themselves like rented mules ( a classic Tolweism) but for your friendly neighborhood soignanic (or mecheur) it means late nights and early morns, keeping six riders and six bikes tip top. The racers are great even though no one is flying right now, and I have to say that these Time bikes are the shizzle. Tomorrow the race does it's final day around the Sunset Loop; check it out here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJyhCcZOYYE

FYI it's climbing from where the sun flashes in your eyes to the feed zone, and they do it 9 times.

Yee-haw! I am headed to bed.

I'm all Advil

What a crew...It's Team Advil/Chapstick!

I get a lot of harem jokes.

Let's see; we've got Natalie, Elisa, yours truly, Cindy, Mara, Kirsten and Reem in front.

We're having a blast here in California. we've done some really nice rides and it's been in the 70's and 80's all the time.

This is my view alot of the time. sometimes the riders are a lot smaller because they're way ahead.


This is their view of me most of the time, driving the van. And yes, it's the same van as last year.

Flying the inept and confused skies

I'm not one to complain. I'm usually a half-full kind of guy when things aren't ideal; I prefer to be positive. However, my US AIRWAYS/AMERICA WEST flight out to California was pretty bad. 2 canceled flights. First it was due to weather and that didn't upset me; what can you do? After an hour and a half of standing on line, however, I was reaching a challenging state of mind They finally rescheduled my flight for the next day. They made no mention of hotels, etc. The second cancellation was due to a mechanical, one they had known about the day before but had neglected to schedule a mechanic to come fix. Even that would have been ok, but they didn't catch it until everyone was on the plane. After they realized something was wrong, they stalled while they tried to find a mechanic, and then just cancelled the flight outright. I was not impressed and neither were the hundred or so others with as it took 4 hours of standing on line to reach an agent who rescheduled me for a later flight.

The third try was the charm, and the best part of the trip was running into Jason and Brandi Van buskirk from home in the airport on their way to Vegas! We had a lunchtime beer which I really needed and once we left the ground everything was fine. However, I think that US AIRWAYS / AMERICA WEST has a long way to go and are now my last choice of airline.
Did I mention that this was US AIRWAYS / AMERICA WEST? Good.

Headin back to Cali

This Massage Therapist is going to Hit The Road Again!

I’ll be working with the Advil/Chapstick professional women’s cycling team as well as the Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light womens team as they compete in spring races in California. This reprises my duties from last year, where Shelley and I helped the Colavita/Cooking Light team to a very successful spring campaign which saw them garner several wins, podium finishes in every race and to go into the middle of the season leading the National Racing Calendar points classification. Team rider Tina Pic won the series overall.
I will again juggle duties as soigneur for the teams, mechanic and occasionally filling in as team director.
I will fly out on March 7 to join the team for the Central Valley Classic in Fresno. Balanced Bodywork and Massage of Lake Placid will remain open, as Shelley will maintain her normal schedule and other therapists will fill in during my trip. I'll be back in the office in early April, with new skills and experience to aid my clients. I'll be updating from the road, so stay tuned and check it out!
Peace