G’day y’all,
I have just got back from a somewhat disastrous weekend in Redlands, CA. We had really high expectations as a team for Redlands, and things started really well with Cesar taking third in the prologue. The next day was the infamous Oak Glen stage, finishing atop a 10km climb, although it felt like 10 miles! Last time Cesar rode this stage, he and Chris Horner came in more than one minute ahead of third place, so we were banking on him doing something similar. Instead, he crashed out nearing the climb, breaking a bone in his wrist, and separating his shoulder pretty bad. We hope he has a speedy recovery and can get back into his great form again shortly.
The next day we had the crit, and i got my first somewhat of a result, coming in fourth, after being in a break for the last hour or so. That was the first time i have ever been in a situation like that here in the States, so i hope i can get more used to it!

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Redlands wasa really pretty city, and had palm tree lined streets all over. On the first day we got there, it was really windy and the mountains that tower over the city looked amazing - i should have taken a photo that day! It is near impossible to see the hills in this picture, however, it is nice knowing they are there for if we get a rainy or windy day to wash down some of the pollution!
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One reason for the slackness in getting a new post up has been the lack of internet i have had lately. Willo and i couldn’t even get it at the local cafe, so we found a park with a very faint signal, and that became our internet headquarters for the week! Now that i am back, i should be a bit more punctual with the updating! I have also had a bit of difficulty getting the photos posted, but i am in the process of having that all sorted too! I am good at making excuses!
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As has become somewhat customary for our team, if we head out for a dinner, it is always some lucky team member’s birthday. On this occasion it happened to be Director Jesse’s!
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When we found that you even get sung to if it is your lucky day, we found it even funnier, especially when this big man with the high pitched voice comes out singing “happy birthday” in Italian! Lucky Jesse got to enjoy his birthday cake while being sung to and feeling so important!
After the racing was over i had to get the “red eye” home. It was great to get back and see Keally after three and a half weeks on the road, and nice to get back to the roads i know here too.
This weekend is off racing for me, so i will be training the house down getting ready for the inaugural US Open Championship in Richmond, VA! The race is pretty long, and at the finish we do a few laps of a circuit that has a cobbled climb in it. It is going to be wicked! There is a steep cobbled climb here in Athens, so i have been training up it, pretending i am doing the Tour of Flanders, but now it has become training for the US Open! Wicked!
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Here is something else that everyone needs to know; our team captain, Willo, is larger than life! Check out this picture in our team shop, The Hub. This is right behind the counter, and it is huge!
Well dudes, hope all is well, and a HUGE thank you to everyone who made comments last time, i have a new record now, beating the old one by three comments! It is great because now i feel like people actually read what i write!
Anyway, hopefully i have a new post out this week soon…
Laters