Catch up...

We are lame and have no pictures... yet! I actually have pictures but don't have the cord to connect the camera to the computer. ugh

Day 2 NVGP:
Weather was much better, thank goodness. It was a 60+ mile RR with a circuit finish. Our "neutral" start was a joke. First, the officials led us the wrong way and over some wooden bridge where we are promptly slammed on the brakes when the officials learned we were going the wrong way. Turn around.... and sprint for a better position. Then the officials car needed to get thru all of us and almost crashed into the Toyota United team's RV. Things didn't calm down from there for the remaining 1.5 miles of neutral start :) After neutral was over, it was on because QOM points were 2+ miles in. The pace was high and it never let up- the rest of the race.
Once we hit the dirt road and circuit, the field blew up. OUCH!

Day 3 NVGP:
The day started with a short TT along the river and ended up this killer hill. Funny thing about today was that some people decided to save their legs and "roll it." Well, there are time cuts in every race including the TT. So, if you are 120% outside of the winner, your race is over. A lot of top girls did not make the cut this morning. Wow!
I guess the officials extended that limit to 125% based on the fact that 1/3 of what remained in the field would have been cut in the TT. Even then, a lot of girls missed the mark. Kristin Armstrong killed the TT and won by about 45 seconds. She is like that smart kid in class that totally messes up the curve and gets a 100% on the test. She is ramping up for Beijing and looking real good!

That night we had a downtown Minneapolis crit. Fast, fast, fast. 25 laps of a fun, flat crit. Thank goodness the weather held out and we had no rain for this crit. The field kept together and it ended in a sprint finish. Brooke Miller won in a super big sprint- she is smart and powerful. I have to say too that she has one of the best lead out girls in the country- Lauren Franges. Those girls are good- they were patient and conservative while they sat in with Cheerwine's lead out train. Lauren got in a good position in the last lap and Brooke took the win. (P.S. Brooke was real close to not making the time cut this morning. Lucky girl!)

Day 4 NVGP:
A RR today- about 90 miles that finished on a circuit. The wind was a larger factor today then on Thursday so positioning was everything. Nobody managed to get away until the circuit and Kristin Armstrong once again proved her dominance. 90 miles made for a long day so we were forced to end the night tonight with some Culver's ice cream. I think that is the only reason I am still awake right now- sugar overload!

Clare, Kate, and I are all learning a ton and growing as cyclists. Sometimes it is hard to put it all in perspective when you feel so out numbered and, frankly, weaker the the others. But, we do realize that this field is the strongest this country has to offer. Every team in the US brought their full squads. It is still a good day when you can end it with ice cream and a couple good laughs.

More tomorrow!

Cari