hat a wild day out on the roads of California. we rode up and over Mt. Tamalpias, the birthplace of mountain biking, within the first 10 miles of the stage. on the decent, there were guys cooking corners, flating left and right, and our team got caught up in the mayhem. Emile took a hard crash after a Gerolsteiner guy lost it in a hairpin, i flatted on the fastest part of the decent and almost crashed, and then as soon as we got it all back together Emile and Omer hit the deck again. Bad Luck!

the roads on the coast were winding and the wind was strong into our faces, so there was little impetus to attack. as such, the pack was contented to roll around behind a Discovery Channel parade, and the average speed was quite low. the big attacks that were supposed to happen on the run in to Santa Rosa never happened, but just about everyone in the team flatted and so we were kept quite busy.

and in the finishing circuits there was a HUGE crash that broke the pack apart with about 10k to go. I barely squeeked through and just rode the wheels in across the line. this was one of those days you are just happy to survive with all our skin intact, which can't be said for Emile. he's my roommate for the tour and he's gonna be hurting tomorrow for sure.

i'm off for a Massage, the soigneurs are doing a great job taking care of the boys.

BJM