See the official press release here, we're running Merckx this year and it's going to be sweet.

I went out to Kansas for the GP Velotek benefit banquet, I was the featured speaker which is funny 'cuz I always thought I had a problem speaking. Especially in public. And put a mic in front of me and everything goes red and I wake up a few hours later and ask how it went and everyone just kinda grimaces.

That's how it goes in my nightmares anyway but in actuality I thought it went very well, I told a few stories about how I grew up and became a cyclist and then a Pro. The crowd was good, and seemed attentive, I didn't see a single yawn so they must have been doing that when I was looking the other way. There was maybe 40 juniors there and they were attentive and I tried to give them a couple of pointers, not so much on the biking side cuz that's what their team's there for but more on the life side and how they're going to need to grow up without losing sight if their dreams.

The whole thing seemed kinda whirlwind, I flew in and out quickly but was very well taken care of my the Meeks family, thanks a bunch you guys for putting me up, and by the whole organization as well. I hope the best for all the young racers and I'm going to be watching for the results at junior Nationals this year. GP Velotek seems to be a well executed development team I I think they're going to go far and they should serve as a model to other Jr. Devo programs in America.

Check out all my stuff on ebay, i'm selling a ton of stuff that's been sitting around for too long, i'm starting it cheap so get in on the action! right now i'm selling old clothes, i need to also go through the storage area and clean some equipment and i'll be listing that too. stay tuned for great deals!

It's story time in the J-M household. Chase is becoming very focused on individual items and knows which pages in a book are his favorite. He flips right to them. What a smart baby.

a big weekend in SC with the Giant Strawberry boys, it was kinda misty/rainy on sat but cleared out later in the day and the riding was great. i haven't done a real ride in SC county in a while, just ridden through on my way back home, so to get to do all my old roads was a welcome respite from all the traffic in SJ. Sunday was absolutely clear and sunny, we rode to fort ord and then some empty farm roads back. windy, but that was actually good as it kept the power up. good roads, good group, a good weekend. thanks also to Joe and Anthony for inviting me along and supporting me over the weekend.

I spoke with old college buddy Fred Dreier, now of Velonews, the other day and he put together a little piece on Velonews.com. you can see the post in it's entirety here.

One domestic pro looking to do some damage at the Tour of California is Kodak Gallery-Sierra Nevada's Ben Jacques-Maynes. BJM is one of Northern California's best. He won three collegiate national titles while racing for UC-Santa Cruz, won the 2004 Nature Valley Grand Prix and landed on a couple of podiums last year thanks to his abilities in time trials.

I caught up with BJM the other day, and he's well aware how important the tour could be to his career and family. He, his wife, Goldi, and their newborn baby Chase live just a couple of miles from the Stage 2 finish, and a score of family members live along the route, so he is looking to put on a show as the hometown hero. And since the racecourse basically cuts through his back yard, BJM says he knows more than a few good places to attack.

VeloNews: All right, Ben, tell me what you know about the route of this thing.

Ben Jacques-Maynes: Living in San Jose is pretty good for knowing this course. I live about 10 minutes from where the hills drop down into San Jose on Stage 2, and the road that is the final loop is a route I ride every day. I know pretty much every road on the first four stages pretty well. I'll probably be sharpening up on my knowledge of the Stage 1 roads up by Santa Rosa. But I really think the hills in the East Bay are going to surprise some people ... it's a hard, hard, hard ride, all up and down. I think [Stage 2] is going to wear on the peloton big time.

VN: Are you going to be looking to be a GC contender or will you be looking for stage wins as well?

BJM: Well, obviously I'd like to come out swinging and take it to people on the hometown roads. As a team I think we're going to take it stage by stage. We're obviously in it to win, and I think stage wins are going to be the big hope right now. But I think each stage we could have a stage winner. If we can have one or two guys make the break each stage - Dominique [Perras], Mike [Dietrich] or myself - then we're not going to worry as much about GC.

VN: This race is in the middle of February, which is pretty early. Do you think people will be lacking in fitness a bit?

BJM: I'm actually not expecting it to be slack at all. This is the biggest event in the country this year. The timing puts it at odds with the rest of the season, sure, but I don't think that matters. This is bigger than the Tour of Georgia. The riding and showmanship will show that too. The daily TV exposure [on ESPN] is huge, too. I think the big heads of the Euro racing will show up and roll around and won't go hard. I think the American teams are in a unique position. We all want to race hard but whether we'll be able to do that against the Euros will be something to watch. I mean, the Europeans are gone before the NRC even starts. And Sea Otter is only one day. Redlands is only a couple of days. There's no back-to-back stage racing as there has been inn the past years. I think because of that there are going to be some of us domestic guys who will be on a whole different level of fitness and will be just flying.

VN: Talk to me about the team. It looks like you picked up some strong guys in the off-season.

BJM: Bringing Jonas [Carney] on is enormous for us. I've been telling people that [having him] will double or triple our racing potential. I think that is a huge step for us. And we've added a ton more speed for the finale, which is where we had some problems last year. We could be coordinated enough to be at the front toward the end but we didn't have enough power to jump a guy to the line at the end. We'd always get fourth or fifth or 10th with a whole lot of team effort behind it. I think we're really motivated and ready to win this year.

VN: And the new baby? How has that changed your training and racing?

BJM: Having Chase in September actually has worked out pretty good. The ‘cross season got thrown out the window, which gave me a little time off. Now I have something to train for. In the past I would always show up to the early season races still at the beginning of my fitness. It puts a whole lot of other things in perspective too. I'm working a lot harder around the house and I have less free time. Goldi and I swap shifts on taking care of Chase. But I think my head is screwed on a lot tighter now. Seeing him smile makes everything worthwhile, you know? The late nights, the cold, rainy days on the bike; everything gets pulled into perspective.

VN: Do you have any individual goals?

BJM: Fame and fortune always sound pretty good! Honestly, I don't think I'm really looking toward Europe anymore. I'm going to be 28 this year and I have a wife and kid. I'm thinking about stability now. I want to be able to come home and be with my family. I don't think about sacrificing that for the dream of racing in Europe. I would much rather be a top-level cyclist in America. I want to be the go-to guy for my team. And I think I'll have a good shot with Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada.

Cheers, Fred, thanks for the nice writeup.

Complete course details are out for the tour of California, here's the stage into San Jose. It's going to be ALL HILLS. Pig Farm, Momma Bear, Happy Valley, Pinehurst, Redwood, Seven Springs, Palomares, Calaveras, Sierra. I'm thinking they've gotten a bit too excited as there's basically no hill they left out. Whoever wins this stage deserves big props.

I rode Sierra this morning with new eyes, it went by pretty quick but I couldn't find a place to recover, there's little shelves where it levels out for 50 feet at the most, basically if you attack (which you must) and don't have it you are really going to pay for it when the grade goes up and then up again.

Click on the "upcoming races" link at right for more information.

A few pics from the Tour of California function can be found here.

There's going to be two stages in San Jose for the ToC, the first is Feb.
21st and the finish will run into downtown. The route will come through
Calaveras, drop all the way down into town, then go back up Sierra (!), drop
down Felter and Calaveras again, then run down into a straight shot finish.
I think Calaveras is going to be hard enough, and with Sierra in the mix
it's going to be an epic day. The fans lining the roads are going to be in
for a real treat, Sierra is an "out there" loop that's still right in town
so it's very accessible for spectators.

The second day is the time trial on the 22nd, which will be held on a south
county loop of bailey, McKean, Uvas, Oak Glen, Willow Springs and then
ripping back on Santa Teresa. This one's going to be super hard too, no
huge hills just a ton of little ones. The winds going to cause havoc no
matter what direction it's blowing, it'll be strong and there will be
several bloc headwind sections to deal with. Sounds like fun.

If you want to leave the "rain" out of your training this Saturday, come
down to the San Jose City Hall at 10 am for a Tour of California
presentation hoopla. There are directions here. They should have course
details, a media presentation and a few speakers, yours truly included.
Come heckle.

I think his teeth are starting to come in, he's been drooling a TON. We are going to need to put a bib on him any time he's awake as he soaks whatever he's wearing. It's kinda cute for the first five minutes, but it's wearing on me. Whenever I touch him he's all slimy! and he's also sticking his entire hand in his mouth so whatever he touches leaves a little slime handprint.