Brauts, Babes and Beer- Bike racing German style!

Thuringen Rundfahrt-  One of the hardest women’s stage races in the world.  Thuringen has been around for 21 years and man do they put on a show!  Tons of spectators, beer sponsors, nice hotels, staff appreciation dinners with acrobats, nice cars and the fastest women in the world.  The girls in green had there work cut out for them fo sho’.  The top spots were Christine with a tight 7th in the time trial and Erinne Willock with a 3rd in stage 6 (she almost got the win-  after a massive breakaway attempt) 

Germany-  The hit list

• 180k an hour on small twisty roads and getting past like I am standing still
• Skoda cars-  why not USA?????
• Sausage-  if you like it ..Germany is the place for you-  they cut it into heart shapes and feature it at all 3 meals-  usually in 5 or 6 variations of flavor and spice  mmmmm  heart attack!
• Real Brauts  are soooooo good
• The things girls say when they see Brauts… Shockingly dirty and not for the general public
• Pissing off the Italian staff to the point of swearing and gesturing only to have them be my best buds 1 day later
• A shit ton of stuff and two small vehicles to stuff it all into.
• Thanks to Bigla and Gauzz for helping us haul our crap to sweden
• Eastern Germany-  No credit cards… and 16 percent unemployement-  the future of the USA
• Garmins and Germany do not get along  recalculating… turn left into that wheatfield …..
• The worst coffee ever!!!!!
• Bread,  really, really good bread
• Long days… very long days with no truck to work out of and borrowing stuff…  big thanks to Andrew, Chris, and Johnnie Salami of the US National team
• Good fans-  Hard Courses- Cobbles, steep hills, screaming technical descents…. nice work.  Best race ever
• Sinus infections and the joy of having a Dr. on the team

Here are some pics for ya…. enjoy

The team presentations the night before stage one

The Webcor Team

Our temporary team vehicles-  Skoda Octavia wagon and Mercedes Van-  in matching black-  Nice!

13-  you gotta do what you gotta do.  Caravan/racer tradition-flip it

Huge crowds in Germany-  in the fields, on the hills, in the villages-  this pic was taken on the QOM in stage 6.  The only thing missing, the only thing to make it the total shit-  having the “voice” MR. Dave Towle screaming out Towleism’s as only Towle can! as the girls ripped up this 16 percent grade 3 times.

How much can you fir on one of those handmade racks?  try 18 wheels and 6 bikes.  Check out those sexy 09′ Orca frames in nude carbon.  I forgot to mention that before leaving for Cascasde… the girls are now all on 09′ Orca frames.  The 08′ was nice.  the 09′ is insane!

Sunflowers on the course

Erinne Willock celebrating her 3rd place stage finish.   The beer is a dunkel weiss and I got to finish it.  Good stuff from beer sponsor attlenburger

The view from my hotel room window

Alex chowing on a German-  gas station-  Hamhock on the way to Sweden.  Yup… She ate the whole thing. 

Wife beater tank- compression socks and sandals????  wtf KCM?  I was a little worried that they were not going to let us on the ferry to Denmark.  Luckily we stopped for the night before getting to the port.  We made it to Sweden with no trouble from the fashion police

4th Olympian for Webcor… that’s right 4

Christine Thorburn will be representing the USA at the 2008 games in Beijing.  Congrats Christine you deserve it!  Right now I am with Christine and Erinne, Alex, Katheryn and Janel and Mooch.  We are in Altenburger Germany preparing for the Thurigen stage race which starts Wed.  It should be fun.  All the heavy hitters are here-  it is the last big race besides the upcoming World Cup before the Olympics. 

a very dirty Christine after stage 3 of Montreal tour earlier this year

Cascade Cycling Classic Recap-

So.  After Traveling to Canada for Natz with Erinne and Alex, it was off to Bend Oregon for the Cascade Classic-  5 day- six stage race.  The team was amped and stacked.  Christine, Kathryn, Gina, Amy D. and Janel came to race and man did it show.  The temps were hot, the miles long and the pace… well..it was fast.

The girls threw down right from the gun with taking 3, 4, 5 on day one.  The trend continued and it was Podium’s aplenty  Including a stunning 2nd place finish on the “hilly” day by our sprint specialist Gina “Guns” Grain.  Gina was on form and had several Podium placings. It was a good race for the girls in green and we took #1 for Team GC and Christine was 2nd on GC for individual.  Full results and standings can be seen here www.cyclingnews.com   now…. it’s show and tell time!

Christine starting it off with a Second on the day and a 6 pack for yours truely!

After eating 18 pieces of Watermelon Katheryn attacked this peanut m+m Martini and crushed it’s soul

Fast car… Faster girls

Bend…. good people.  bike people.

Frickin’ beauty eh……

The free bike and racer wash courtesy of the City of Bend’s surprise spirinkler system.

One of the 4 host houses we stayed in, in the awbrey butte neighborhood, nice!!!

Our host families were awesome!!!  and they threw us a potluck/bbq..  Great food, great people.  Thanks.

Me and my new dog pal Chinley

My good friend Colleen came upto Cascade from Portland and donned the green! She assisted Laura and I in the team car for Stage 5 keeping track of breakaway numbers and feed zone mileage

Laura Chermeda was our Director at Cascade-  Laura likes to talk on the radio… like this…”there’s a right turn coming up on your right, but you don;t want to take that right, it’s the next right after this right sooo  go right when it looks like you should go right…   you, know the one with the marshal…. just lettin’ ya know”

Rackin’ and stackin’  after stage 5 while Avery gets a new ass and a hefty fine from the local Police for showing no respect for the law

More to come…. time to catch flight to Germany from the PDX!!!

Hey Man! You better roll through or we will start attacking the SHIT outta you!

Well I got to the SFO last night and Karen picked me up, then  met up with Sam and family-  got a few hous sleep and then……  loaded up the team Subie and headed 8 hrs North to Bend Oregon. Woohoo!  8 hrs is a short drive, but here is the hit list-

• 114 degrees in Corning CA-  Holy shit balls is that hot.  I turned off the AC an opened the window and could not believe how hot it was.  It was hovering between 110- and 114 for nearly 200 miles.  It cooled down to about 95 after Mount Shasta
• Saw some wild fires… crazy
• Saw Helicopters near the Shasta dam scooping water out in  big buckets hung from the bottom of the choppers
• Stopped to smell some Ponderosa pines near Weed
• In N Out-  of course I went, what are ya nuts????
• Wiped Ash from the hood of the team car when I stopped for gas
• The Air in CA is really, really bad from all the fires- Forest fires smell like flaming Litter Boxes full of Cat Shit.  No Shit-  Flaming Shit!
• Host housing is great.  The view from the deck in Bend is amazing-  if you like that sort of thing-  I do.
• Met another Dog named Chinley  who oddly enough looks like the other dog I know named Chinley .  Both dogs come from Indian reservations.  One lives in AZ and the other in OR.  Weird… like a smoke and a panacake.
• Blue Mountain Dew is the best Mountain Dew…  l like it and so should you… Fou.
• NPR only comes in on the radio in Hippie Mountain towns in CA
• 114 is really f’n hot man.
• Indestructable, Military Grade tool cases are neither!  One flight… that’s all it took and my new case is rendered un wheelable.  Chicago tool case look out-  I am coming for ya real soon!  Like tomorrow, man.

 

Alex Wrubleski wins Canadian Nationals with 8km leadout from Erinne Willock!!

After 114km of racing Alex Wrubleski outsprints Leigh Hobson and Felicia Gomez for the title of fastest Canadian not on Hockey skates.  This win would not have been possible without the selfless effort and personal sacrifice of fellow canuck and teammate Erinne Willock.  It was great to be there (driving in the caravan- this time!) to witness a well fought victory.  Nicely done!!  Pics and stories soon! 

I am in the Airport in Hartford CT, known to worldly travelers as…. the BDL.  I am here with a another delayed Delta flight.  In the past 24hrs I have….. driven in the Caravan for 4 hrs during Natz, Drove back to MA for 8.5 hrs. from East-banga-where Canadadia, packed and condensed stuff, and then drove another 1hr 15 min to the Airport in CT to fly to the West Coast for 4 and a half weeks of racing and travel-  on the list  Bike builds in the Bay Area, Cascade stage race in Bend OR, Thurigen stage race in Germany, Swedish World Cup, USA Elite ITT and Road Race National Championships and then……… a nap.

CIAO

Beijing Bound-

THe official announcements have been made by the Canadian Cycling Association-  3 of the Olympians representing Canada in Beijing 2008 ARE ON THE WEBCOR TEAM.  That’s right.  Erinne Willock, Gina Grain and Alex Wrubleski are going to China and not just because they have good Chinese food there.  Congratulations ladies.

Erinne Willock-  Olympian

Alex Wrubleski- Olympian

Gina Grain- Olympian

P.S….  we aren’t done yet.  USA Cycling has not yet announced the Women’s roster for Beijing.  Stay tuned!