Sorry i've been out of touch. Busy I guess. So let's see, what's been happening?
Stage 1:
This one really "woke up the legs". 125 miles and hot out. Humid hot. So humid my hands slip off the bars. This was my one allocated "bad day" of the race. I was very active at the front for the first half of the race. Got into a small break of 4 riders but it really only lasted a matter of minutes. Then, right around the halfway opint the legs started cramping. Now, for anyone who's done a long race or even a long ride and has experienced this you know how much it can really suck. For those of you who haven't-it can really suck. So I could do nothing but sit in the rest of the race and watch the action. There was a large split about two thirds in and a group of 32 guys, including Stefan and jared got 5 minutes on the main field as they rolled away from us with the 30 other riders. Not too shabby (for them)
Stage 2:
Had much more fun on this one despite the monsoon that settled directly over the race. 125 miles in torrential rain makes for a real good time. The rain was actually a blessing in disguise because dehydration was not as big of an issue. Seeing obstacles in the road is another story... Since it's anothe long day I decide to sit tight in the back at first and just ratch the action. About 60k into it I start moving up and playing games. The Danish guys are proving to be quite strong and friendly, making for good guys to work with. So me and "the Dane's" keep trying to get up the road but get chased down every time. I'm getting more fit I guess, just not quite fit enough to walk away from the main bunch... yet... Stefan rolls up to the front from the back and joins in the fun with the Europeans and me and manages to break free for a bit and roll up ahead of the group about 45 seconds to a minute. At this very minute the officials decide to call the race due to flooding up the road. They gave Stefan 3rd place for being up the road when they cancelled. What luck! So we got a podium spot and some cash to boot!
Today, stage 3:
Short one. Only 100 miles. More monsoon rains only add stronger wind. Gotta hand it to my teammate jared. He went up the road solo early in the race and stayed up there for over an hour! The pace-making was handled by the Japanese national team this whole time and they let him stay out there all the while. Anyways, thhey caught him 2/3rds in and a split in the group occurred when the Danish guys went to the front and hit the gas. Stefan and I made it into the front group and rolled in for a sprint finish. I hate sprint finishes...
Tomorrow we hit the mountains. Miles of climbing lie ahead as we traverse from the east coast to the west coast. It is quite pretty here as we have been racing north along the shore. I will miss the beach, but I also look forward to seeing the lush peaks that await. Of course I say that now, but tomorrow...
Tom
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