"Ferme la Vache!"

I'm back from my two day trip to Solvang, and don't know where to begin with the abundance of stories to tell. I had the unbelievable (but, believe it, ladies and gents) opportunity to spend a few days in the company of six Team Slipstream/Chipotle riders and their traveling circus. Fortunately, I started off my journey not really knowing how "pro" most of these cyclists really were. Had I known, I'm sure I would have been a bit more intimidated at first. The staff and team were very welcoming and I felt comfortable the minute I stepped out of my car. My first task was to go to Allen Lim's hotel room and help him make a rice/egg/bacon/balsamic/SALT concoction to wrap up for the guys to take out on their ride. A "breakfast burrito on the go," I was informed. After a very busy day of making sure the guys were taken care of, we all went out to dinner at a fancy pants Italian restaurant where we proceeded to drink and eat like kings (and queens!). It was nice to have a chance to hang out in a more relaxed atmosphere and get to have a few laughs together. I even learned a few fun foreign phrases. I stayed the night, did more of the same in the morning, went for a ride there, and was taken out to dinner again. Before saying goodbye, Tom, Daimeon, Allen and I dropped to the ground out in front of the restaurant for a 22 push-up challenge. Ok, so the "challenge" was mainly to see if I could do it, but they happily joined and proceeded to show me up. :)

Amy and I will be seeing them, along with our own teammate, Justin Spinelli (he rides for Kelly Benefits, another team in the Tour of California), next week, when they ride through our town! Oh, and one last thing, I feel like one of the luckiest girls in the world to have been able to do this. The team reminded me a lot of the Richard Sachs squad in their family-like atmosphere. Their anti-doping foundations provide the riders with a pressure free environment to perform to the best of their ability, with the understanding that even the best of the best have off days sometimes, and thats ok. Good philosophy, atmo.