Well, it appears that my audio posts haven’t actually been posting…guess I shoulda checked to see if they were making it on to the site.  In any case, not so much to report here from the race.  Pretty much been getting flogged, came into the race with some aspirations but have been feeling like there is nothing in the legs.  Been helping out the team, doing what I can but given the level of the riders here it is tough to do too much unless you are 100% on.  Felt a bit better on stage three but was struck with an inopportune flat tire as we hit the bottom of Sierra Grade.  Grupetto for me.  The team has been riding well, some of our guys are really flying. I think that with the right break we could still have a shot at winning the Teams Classification.
Two more days and two more chances for a stage win.  There is a good chance that the break will go the distance tomorrow, I’ll be giving everything I have to make it into the early move.

Glad that is over with.  Short prologue today and I felt pretty horrible.  New position feels good but the legs weren’t quite turning over like they needed to.  Feeling good and looking forward to the next few days.  Mainly looking forward to seeing my teammate Hilton in yellow tomorrow.  He was 8th today and I think that he has a serious shot at moving into the lead after he pumps everyone in the bunch kick tomorrow.  I’m predicting an aggressive race with a group of 60 coming to the finish.
For the next few days I’ll be checking in via audio posts.

Out of Albuquerque and in sunny CA. ABQ wasn’t too bad for training but it is always tough going to a new location and finding the good roads to ride on. Especially when you have 18 guys to ride with and specific training goals to be met. We made it through it though and hopefully got a nice fitness bump from the time at altitude. Feeling decent at the moment, just been having a look at a few of the key stages for the Tour of Cali. Also was able to spend some quality time in the wind tunnel down in San Diego. Very pro set up they have down there, well worth it to anyone who is even remotely thinking about going fast in time trials this year. My old friend Nils was able to meet us in the tunnel to take some pictures. Nils and I raced together as juniors and he has now gone on to become a badass photographer for Sports Illustrated. Luckily our time in the tunnel fell in between the Superbowl and the NBA All Star game and Nils was able to join us to snap some pics.
The last few weeks by the numbers:

Time in ABQ- 2 weeks
Total time on the road for the first trip– 4 weeks
Days in ABQ when the night time temp was above freezing-2
Time spent riding on Interstate 40- 10 miles
Speed limit on I40- 75mph
ABQ elevation- 5,000 ft
Sandia peak elevation- 9,000 ft
Number of near crashes on the icy ascent of Sandia- 2
Sightings of Elvis on ascent of Sandia- 1
Hours ridden in my last week in ABQ- 33
Ballets attended in ABQ- 1
Time spent in wind tunnel- 45 minutes
Theoretical time savings gained in a 40km tt at 30mph- 76 seconds
Distance time trial bars were lowered- 5 cm
Stories told by Tim Johnson about Mike Sayers hitting a beaver and crashing-1
Days until the Tour of California-5

The 2007 season has begun and once again it is time for another Navigators training camp. After a solid winter that included lots of motorpacing and countless reps up Mt. Lemmon I am looking forward to some racing. First off though is a two week camp in Alburquerque with the guys and the Lipton ladies. The squad is looking super strong so far and is really coming together as a team unit. We haven’t been able to do too much in the hills so far thanks to a nasty cold front that has been pounding Albuquerque but as things warm up in the next few days the team hopes to get in some big climbs. I’ve been hitting the trainer first thing in the mornings all week and cranking out intervals before breakfast and a longer ride on the road with the team. I’m hoping that this combination works well as final prep for Tour of California. One more week here then it is off to California for some wind tunnel action then up to the start in SF of Tour of Cali.
Starting off the season with a month on the road is a difficult transition. All winter you are able to do you own thing, eat and cook on your own schedule, train when it suits you, take midday naps, and most importantly spend time with loved ones. Training camp provides some flexibility in scheduling but for the most part timing is dictated on a group level with little room for individuality. Good for team camaraderie but a difficult transition nonetheless.