Disaster befell me this morning: two days remain at training camp and my supply of Stumptown coffee ran out. Can I make it? It's questionable. Regardless, I'm definitely looking forward to getting home, nasty weather and all. It's been a long, strange training camp thus far, and a return to Adrienne, Scout, and a little bit of day to day normalcy sounds really great right now.

But despite some homesickness and a bit of difficulty adjusting to the unorthodox way some things are being run here, I've still been managing to enjoy myself. Last night our big house on the hill was host to a sponsor/media/'friends of Rock' party, and Michael Ball certainly knows how to do that right. It was great getting to let loose a little bit with all of the guys, even though most of us were quite conscious of the fact that we'd be riding hard again today. We also got our first selection of R&R clothing. If we're going to party, we have to look good, right? Man, that stuff is nice.

And of course, we've also been training quite hard on the beautiful roads around here, and I'm definitely getting fit. The question still remains though: where will I get to use that fitness? Last night, near the end of the party, Michael Ball announced the first six selections for the Tour of California, along with six more who are competing for the final two spots. I'm among those six on the bubble. It's not entirely clear upon what basis the final selection will be made, but I'm hoping for the best. We've been racing up just about every hill we've come across here in Malibu, and I hope I've shown enough to warrant a selection. On the other hand, for me to go, either Mike Creed or Cesar Grajales would likely have to stay at home. They're two incredible riders and great guys as well, and it really kills me that it has to be a competition amongst us. And that's not to mention all of the other guys here, who are all deserving in their own right. So I'm not basing my entire sense of self-worth on making the cut. It's a long year, and as big a race as Tour of California has become, there are still plenty of other important events to look forward to.

My teammate Rahsaan Bahati has been taking a ton of photos (here and here), many quite good, so head over there if you're interested in checking them out. (I have no logical explanation for this one, so don't ask.) His blog is here, with a little bit of his own commentary about the happenings here in Malibu. Take a look.

That's all for now. Look for me riding in the rain in Portland again really soon. I can't wait.

Anyone who's been following the domestic cycling scene for the past couple months is doubtlessly well aware of the noise that's been generated by my new team, Rock Racing (if you're not, let Google enlighten you). It's been an eventful offseason and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least somewhat nervous about how it was all going to come together. When I signed my contract back in August, I had the impression that I was joining an upstart team with ambitions of being competitive on the domestic NRC circuit, and with hope for slow growth over the next couple of seasons. The scope of the team, obviously, has grown somewhat.

I've been in Malibu, CA for the team camp for about a week now, and one more remains. It's been anything but a typical team camp, but it's been going relatively well. I think a few hitches are to be expected from a team that has grown this quickly, but things are smoothing out and my apprehension is mostly assuaged. The one concern that remains is where, exactly, I fit in on the team. There are obviously a lot of riders on this team that deserve starts in the big races. There are far more deserving riders, in fact, than there are start spots at any given race. But I've always thrived when forced to prove myself, and I don't expect this season to be any different. And regardless of which races I end up doing, I'm confident that this will ultimately be a good experience.

There will be plenty to post here over the course of this season, and I'll do my best to keep information coming. I've purposefully remained vague on the particulars of camp, but I'll get a more complete synopsis up later. Here are some photos.