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I'm back in sunny Portland. I took a 4:30am shuttle from Pasadena to LAX, caught the 6:30 flight to PDX, then commenced my crazy-guy-with-all-the-luggage routine on the MAX. I had a bike travel bag, a roller bag, a duffel bag, and a backpack with me. The longest part of the trip was the two block trudge from the MAX station, across Burnside, and up the hill to my apartment carrying all of that stuff. But, as always, it's nice to be home.
Unfortunately, the last day of the Tour of California didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped on a personal level. I really wanted to get into the break, but I ended up missing it again. It wasn't for lack of trying though. I was the first guy to attack at kilometer zero, and a break of seven of us formed right away. But it just wasn't quite the right mix and it ended up coming back together before ultimately splitting again. I missed that second split, but my teammate Mike Creed managed to make it. George Hincapie got in the break as well and they held off the field by about 10 seconds at the finish. Mike was 4th behind Hincapie. It was a great ride for him. For the rest of us, it was another long cold day in the rain. I think everyone was happy to get that stage race behind us.
Jonathan Maus ran a great summary of the week over at Bikeportland.org. Check it out. Thanks Jonathan.
Afterward, there was the customary post-race chaos in which everyone tried to gather up the stuff scattered between the team cars and the bus, pack their bikes, and coordinate airport shuttles for the next day. It always amazes me to see some semblance of order emerge from all that chaos. It wouldn't be possible without the hard work from the soigneurs and mechanics. We also had a great team dinner before calling it a night. In true Michael Ball style, there was Dom Perignon in the champagne flutes. A guy could get spoiled.
So now I'll be focusing on recovering and getting ready for the next big race. I'm not sure yet if it'll be Redlands or Tour of Georgia, but either way I intend to be ready. In the meantime, I'll be training here in Portland and maybe making another trip down to northern California for a weekend of racing. The Banana Belt race this weekend at Haag Lake is a near certainty. It'll be fun. Thanks again for everyone that followed along this past week. All of the notes of support and the kind words at the races were appreciated. That's all for now.
Unfortunately, the last day of the Tour of California didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped on a personal level. I really wanted to get into the break, but I ended up missing it again. It wasn't for lack of trying though. I was the first guy to attack at kilometer zero, and a break of seven of us formed right away. But it just wasn't quite the right mix and it ended up coming back together before ultimately splitting again. I missed that second split, but my teammate Mike Creed managed to make it. George Hincapie got in the break as well and they held off the field by about 10 seconds at the finish. Mike was 4th behind Hincapie. It was a great ride for him. For the rest of us, it was another long cold day in the rain. I think everyone was happy to get that stage race behind us.
Jonathan Maus ran a great summary of the week over at Bikeportland.org. Check it out. Thanks Jonathan.
Afterward, there was the customary post-race chaos in which everyone tried to gather up the stuff scattered between the team cars and the bus, pack their bikes, and coordinate airport shuttles for the next day. It always amazes me to see some semblance of order emerge from all that chaos. It wouldn't be possible without the hard work from the soigneurs and mechanics. We also had a great team dinner before calling it a night. In true Michael Ball style, there was Dom Perignon in the champagne flutes. A guy could get spoiled.
So now I'll be focusing on recovering and getting ready for the next big race. I'm not sure yet if it'll be Redlands or Tour of Georgia, but either way I intend to be ready. In the meantime, I'll be training here in Portland and maybe making another trip down to northern California for a weekend of racing. The Banana Belt race this weekend at Haag Lake is a near certainty. It'll be fun. Thanks again for everyone that followed along this past week. All of the notes of support and the kind words at the races were appreciated. That's all for now.
posted by dougollerenshaw at 11:15 AM
7 Comments:
Copperopolis perchance? you should come do it. Tonkin is, so you know it is going to rock!
Word
How about some soggy Mason Lake fun up in WA? Tom Peterson came up last year. March 1st, 8th, or 15th! Great seeing you down in Cali.
Great job doug,I'm in Atlanta, Ga. and the nasty weather that got you guys, has made it here and it's a wonder more guys didn't get ill. Hopefully, I'll get to see you guys at the Tour De Georgia this year, you almost won that stage here last year and it would good to see your team take one here. good luck Walter
Doug - you rode a great race and deserve to be proud. I watched your attacks on saturday over the internet and was impressed by your intensity.
Good luck in future races and I'll be keeping an eye out for your achievements!
im a lowly old cat 3 but ive seen you at pir and have seen you race. i dont know a lot about what happened down there in cali yet but was really happy to see that you finished well! good luck in the future. its gotta be pretty cool to know that you finished better than people like paolo bettini ... huh, huh
Hey Doug
Nice work in California, it was good to see you.
Can you shoot me an email please -I don't remember yours -sorry.
norrene.godfrey@(where i work).com
Great race and great blog. Glad to see you in the TOC. I know you wanted to race it.
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