Hello Legends!!
It is nearly clicking over to 2 months USA time now for me and I sit here writing in an armchair with Starbucks complete with ‘creamer’ next to my portable computer, I feel as though I am absorbing many more traits of American culture day by day…
Since I last wrote I have spent a few weeks racing here in the South East to start off the season. The racing here was hard but a good indicator of the season ahead. My legs were feeling good coming off a solid block of training back home. I managed to net a few top ten’s and work solidly to get our Russian Olympic sprinter Alexey Shmidt into a few podium spots at these races. There were some impressive turn ups at these races including veteran pro George Hincapie and his BMC development team brang some class and speed to these races. This was all in preparation however for the upcoming March NRC races in Florida and California.
My first big hit out at the NRC level was the Delray Beach twilight crit in Florida. Many of these races in order to keep costs down for teams attending organise Host Housing for the athletes attending. As I alluded to before, getting inside the American way of life has become an inevitable side effect of this job. Staying with magnificently hospitable families at all corners of the US gives a unique perspective of day to day life here quite apart from that gained from a hotel stay. The Gold’s in Boca Raton, Florida housed and fed us wonderfully filling American food for the 3 days we were here. This for me was indicative of how many Americans view visitors to their town’s and cities. They are very warm and welcoming and tremendously proud of the country they live in. The racing in Florida for me was the beginning of a negative slope of form. However, for our team it was very successful, with Alexey taking 4th in the crit and the win on the Sunday circuit race.
From Florida and the Atlantic coast it was more or less straight off to the Pacific coast in Caifornia. Staying in LA for the San Dimas and Redlands stage races. Here my legs were to feel worse and worse by the day as though they were filled with cement. Attempting to shake this feeling with a variety of vitamins and stretching in a rush for these 2 stage races was unfortunately fruitless and my racing here was embarrasing to say the least. For the team again though it was fabulous to be at these races and get some awesome experience at the top level here in the USA. For me however, I am off for blood tests this week to try and work out the cause of this fatigue that renders me often incapable of completing a flight of stairs without a breather. The doctor suspects I have been ‘overtraining’, I guess one can have too much of a good thing. This was dissapointing as the California races were a goal of mine to perform at. However, such is this sport which can be cruel sometimes.
Training in sunny Redlands, California. Photo: Justin Morris
Apart from the racing, California was a terrific experience. Staying in Redlands with the wonderful Mortensen host family was a real bonus! The place is BEAUTIFUL! Snow capped peaks surrounding a quaint orange growing community. I took the oppurtunity one day to hire a car and go driving through the mountains- Spectacular. I must return here for training again one day. Also, putting a smile on my dial in Cali was hangin with old Aussie mates Camo ‘D.Reamer’ Peterson, Ben ‘Hillinator’ Hill, ‘Smokin’ Joe Lewis and James ‘Heppy’ Hepburn from Eclipse pro cycling. Seeing some familiar faces and been able to talk ‘Australian’ again was great fun, especially when you are so far from home.
From here, I am taking a lighter load on the bike for a couple of weeks which has given me more chance to absorb some real American culture. I spend hours each day at Starbucks, I bought the CD of the latest from ‘The Boss’ Bruce Springsteen, I listen to NPR every morning, watch ‘Conan’ each night and read the New York Times with my skinny Hazelnut Latte! Many Americans appear to be having a tough time with the economy at the moment but one of the beautiful things about the people here is many are driven by a healthy optimism and the notion of ‘hope’. As ‘the boss’ sings “Dreams will not be thwarted”.
A lovely sentiment I will be taking to some speeches to raise awareness of diabetes. I luckily get to do this weekend at ‘Camp Kudzu’, GA and in Alabama in 2 weeks. Another part of this job I love.
But of course Australia will always be the best country in the world!
Racing for me returns at the Charlotte Presbyterian invitational criterium in a few weeks. Thanks for reading if you made it this far!
Cheers,
Justin/Mad Dog