Why My Night Will Be Busy

Rock Racing's Tyler Hamilton won the USPRO road race today.
You can hear me at the 3:07 mark. And see my red shirt at the end.

Saturday: Has It Only Been Two Days?

Rock Racing sponsored the USPRO time trial.
Greenville, S.C. - Yes, it is only Saturday and it seems like I have been in Greenville, S.C., forever. But that's a good thing. The city is clean and getting around is easy, as we are just off I-385.

It was nice to ease into things today. Rock Racing only had two entries in the USPRO Championship time trial and Team Type 1 only had one. So I was able to Twitter updates about both teams, coordinate media and follow the race results. Phil Southerland of Team Type 1 was a part of the online broadcast for about 10 minutes and the Greenville News asked to ride in the Rock Racing team car behind Michael Creed.

Speaking of Creed, he was part of one of the more unusual sights on the day. I saw him get off his bicycle and walk away from the starthouse about two minutes before he was scheduled to go. He walked down the sidewalk and behind a bridge culvert. I quickly figured out that he was heeding "nature's call." But I didn't expect what happened when he was finished. One of the team staff put an entire bag of ice down the back of his skinsuit. Yikes! That had to be cold.

But it was also a good precautionary measure. It was HOT out there. And humid. One photographer who was in Beijing, Casey Gibson of VeloNews, said it was more humid and warmer in Greenville than at the Olympics.

Neither squad did anything in Saturday's race, which was fine and not unexpected. It still made for a long day, though, and I never did get out on a bike ride. Tracking down a bike seemed to be the first obstacle, time was the second obstacle and third, I would have been even more exhausted than I was already. (Need proof? Check out the stories I wrote for Team Type 1 here, here and here).

Saturday night was the "Greenville Rocks" concert and hospitality dinner sponsored by Rock Racing. I accompanied team photographers Paul and Bill to the event and we enjoyed the live music and a tremendously nice spread of food. Despite it being billed as an "athlete reception," not a single rider was there. They would have enjoyed the food - but missed the desserts. (There were none.)

Three things that were nice...

I was able to pick the girls up some very nice souvenirs without spending a bundle. So girls, if you are reading this, you need to stay good for Mom. She'll give me the final OK or nay on whether you actually deserve to receive the gifts I bring back to Omaha. So please continue to be good for her.

Having been here last year (and having stayed at the downtown Hampton Inn), I was very familiar with the area where the Greenville Rocks event was taking place. I even knew how to save $5 on parking.

Back in Omaha, Bridget was feeding me updates on the Nebraska football game. I ordered the pay-per-view broadcast and they threw a watching party at my apartment. (Supposedly they cleaned up afterwards.)

Now to the photos:
I thought this sign was funny at a bike event.

In case you didn't believe me that the food spread was impressive.

The band played Journey, Rush, AC/DC and Rolling Stones music.

Paul from Vero Image caught me in action Saturday night.

Here's the view of the event from across the stream.

A Little Unusual

This cartoon spoofs a pose Tyler Hamilton struck
while going down in a crash on a mountain in Utah.
Greenville, S.C. - Never underestimate the creative power of people who have a lot of time on their hands. That is obviously the case with the cartoon above. It was developed with the help of a series of photos of Rock Racing's Tyler Hamilton - who crashed on a descent at the Tour of Utah earlier this month. Click here to read the accompanying story on FatCyclist.com.

The interesting thing from my standpoint is that these photos only saw the light of day after I submitted them for approval. Normally, a crash is not a good thing. But Tyler did a nice job of "saving" himself from serious injury (and from ripping his clothing). The photos are making the rounds on the Internet now and the cartoon above and at right are complimentary, in my opinion.

First Day In Greenville

The winner of this weekend's races gets to wear a special
stars-and-stripes jersey for the next year.
Greenville, S.C. - My Friday began at 3:45 a.m. and is still going at 2:50 a.m. Saturday. In between, I've flown from Omaha to Memphis, Tenn., to Greenville, S.C., eaten one meal (at Indigo Joe's), written three blog posts for Team Type 1, Twittered one report for Rock Racing, managed a press conference and a pair of crisis and represented the team at a manager's meeting.

Yes, it is back to work-on-the-road for me this Labor Day Weekend 2008. When I stepped off the plane this morning, it was almost as if I had been here a few weeks ago. But it was exactly a year ago that I was in Greenville to manage press for Toyota-United.

This is a fountain in the atrium of the Greenville airport.
Sergey Davidenko picked me up in one of the Cadillac Escalades.
I had about two hours between touchdown and my first assignment: getting two of the team's riders to a pre-race press conference. I spent about 45 minutes just getting the staff and riders assigned to rooms (I was upgraded to a "deluxe king" in a corner room for my trouble) and then another 20 or so trying to track down the two riders. Unfortunately, one of them (Tyler Hamilton) was out riding his bike (with his phone turned off). So it was just Fred Rodriguez and me who drove over to the Greenville Hospital in one of the team's Cadillac CTS vehicles (thank goodness for navigation systems).

The other crisis I managed during that time was the lack of licenses and rider releases. I expected them to be waiting for me at the Hilton. Instead, they were sent to my apartment. Thank goodness my "assistant" (Bridget) was able to assist in Omaha and get me the information. I also used my connection with the chief commissaire, Randy Shafer (whom I have officiated races with over the years), to troubleshoot the situation.

The tiny guy on the left in the white hat is Fred Rodriguez.
I readied the rider's race numbers after the manager's meeting.
Saturday's schedule should be much less hectic. Only two riders from Rock Racing - and one from Team Type 1 - are competing in the time trial. That means I should be able to get a ride in - provided I can round up a bicycle. I have my pedals (thanks for the tools, Dad!), helmet and Rock Racing kit. And a journalist has invited me to participate in an afternoon ride of the course.

This is also one of those trips that Danielle would have certainly enjoyed. As I checked into the hotel, I imagined how much fun I would have had showing her around Greenville. It's a very clean city with plenty of hospitality. Instead, I will be on the lookout for some souvenirs for our girls - who promised me Thursday night they would be good for their mom. (I'll be checking up on them, of course.)

Now Starring: Me

Recognize the guy on the far right with the white gloves?
Last December, I helped manage media and communications for the National Cyclocross Championships in Kansas City. It was four long days in cold, bone-chilling conditions (and snow). It probably would have been a better experience had the heater for the press tent not blown a fuse after the first day.

So it was with mixed feelings that I watched the trailer for a new movie about the races in Wyandotte County Park. That is, until I caught a glimpse of myself (in high definition, no less) about halfway through the video. It reminded me of how nice it is to do your job without having to wear two stocking caps, snow pants, boots and gloves.

Click here to watch the trailer.

Curriculum Night: Part II

Thursday night was "Part II" of the curriculum nights for parents at St. Mary's. This time, I got to hear about the great things Olivia, Julia and Lauren will be doing.

And like Tuesday, it was Mrs. Senna (pictured at right) who attracted all the attention for her unusual headgear.

Among the highlights:

- Keyboarding skills (i.e. typing on the computer) are taught as early as first grade. (Hey Emily, it's time for you to start practicing!)

- First Reconciliation for Julia will take place in January.

- Lauren listed Uncle Jon as her "hero" on a project that outlined interesting facts about her and her family.

- All of the girls are off to a great start, particularly in the art department. Though I don't have any examples to share, there were some impressive drawings in the collection of papers I reviewed and passed on to Danielle.

The Girls's Lunches: Ready To Go

Even Veronica gets a cold lunch this year.

Happy Birthday Dad!

I still don't know how old he is, but he looks great!
I don't remember the exact year (I was probably about seven or eight years old), but I do recall how the conversation went between me and my mom.

"Mom, how old are you and dad," I asked.

"Who is asking," mom replied.

"My friends wanted to know," I said.

"Tell them it's not polite to ask adults how old they are," she said.

And that was that. Never again did I ask how old they were. Nor did I ask the year of their birth - to figure it out myself. I do know my dad is a year older than my mom. (Just like I'm a year older than Danielle.)

Regardless of how old you are, dad, I still love you and am glad to have you and mom around. Enjoy your birthday!

Curriculum Night: Part I

Tuesday night was curriculum night at St. Mary's School. It's the opportunity for parents to hear what lies in store for their children, as well as the responsibilities that are on the parents for the school year.

So I was listening intently and taking notes during the nearly two-hour-long session for parents of children in grades 5-8 (Emily is in sixth). Thursday will be another curriculum night for Lauren, Julia and Olivia's grades.

My favorite part of the night had to be when the librarian (pictured at right) emerged with an elaborate balloon hat. It got everyone's attention and provided a much-needed spark to what was becoming a tedious time of sitting in the bleachers.

Bike Ride With Bob Schrank

Bob stopped twice during our ride to check his blood sugar.
Team Type 1 Development Team Manager Bob Schrank stopped in Omaha this morning as part of a local appearance (which thankfully I did not have to coordinate).

The best part about his visit was the opportunity to get a quick bike ride in. It was my pleasure to show off part of Omaha's trail system. We headed south toward Bellevue and got about a 15-mile ride in.

Like every rider on Team Type 1's developmental squad, Bob has Type 1 diabetes. He was also captain of the squad that finished second in the Race Across America. So riding 15 miles is hardly even a blip on the radar compared to pedaling more than 2,000 miles across the country.

Happy Birthday Olivia!

It's No. 6 for our little diva. I love you, Liv.

Next Up: USPRO Championships

The professional cycling season is winding down - but it gets busier before the racing stops at the end of September.

On tap for this weekend are the USPRO Championships in Greenville, S.C. I attended this event last year (see photo at right) while managing press for Toyota-United, a team that is going away after this season.

Last year at this race, I ventured out on one of the team bikes to check out the road race course. It was a 16-mile(?) loop that included the climb of Paris Mountain. Initially, I was tagging along with one of the riders, Justin England, but heading out of town toward the mountain, I told him not to wait for me.

Once onto the climb (which is denoted by the words "climb starts here!" painted on the road), I knew I was in trouble right from the get-go. I had hardly begun going up and I was already down to two gears. I also didn't know the climb, so as I rounded every bend I could only hope it was the one that led me over the top.

Unfortunately, the climb that takes the professionals about 20 minutes took me about 45 (including three stops and a phone call home). But once over the top, I enjoyed a fast (45-50 mph) descent back into Greenville.

I doubt I will get a chance to ride the course this year, but it is good to have experienced it at least once.

The Girls Are Here!

A picture of the girls during Wednesday's visit to see me.
So the change in plans only allowed me to see the girls for four hours Wednesday. But we had a lot of fun.

During that time, we: swam in the pool, pulled Olivia's loose tooth out, washed my car, cooked dinner and set goals for the school year.

Emily said she would like to do better in math and science. Lauren said she would like to improve her math grade. Julia said she didn't want to get any cards (which Emily pointed out is easy since they don't give out cards in second grade) and Olivia said she didn't want to set any goals.

Olivia is looking forward to her visit from Lu, the tooth fairy. She was glad to get that tooth out because she was drooling all over the place.

Wednesday was also nice because I received a (surprise) gift of a Rock Racing team kit - complete with socks and gloves (see picture of Julia at right). Danielle said she likes it better than any other uniform I have ever had. And I have worn a lot of team kits since meeting her in 1991.

Getting Ready For The Girls

It's Wednesday morning and that means the girls are coming to see me this afternoon. After posting that I would be seeing them off for their first day of school, there has been a change of plans.

Instead of sleeping over at my apartment and then going to school Thursday morning, they will actually be returning home tonight after spending part of the afternoon with me. This means the traditional pictures and video will take place at the house on Mom and the girls' first day of school.

My dad spent several hours at the apartment yesterday getting the bunk bends assembled and ready for the girls' overnight visit (which is now this weekend). He also earned the dubious distinction of being my first true lunch guest. (Thus the "No. 1" sign in the picture.) We enjoyed a nice meal, but he opted out of the root beer floats they were serving at the leasing office.

Here is a picture I neglected to include in my post yesterday about returning home. The Qwest Center arena took a major hit during a thunderstorm that happened during the Olympic Swim Trials in July. At the time, the arena management company said it would be fixed "in a couple days." Here it is, more than six weeks later, and there's no sign that the scaffolding is going away any time soon.

Images From My Flight

From my seat, I could watch the baggage being loaded.
So it was another short night - going to bed around 2 a.m. and waking up at 4:30 to catch my ride to the Salt Lake City Airport. Rock Racing team soigneur Sergey Davidenko again gave me a lift. The last time he did this, we got pulled over by the police near the airport). This time, it was much more uneventful.

Did you know US Airways charges you $15 for EVERY bag you check? The good news is that there is no weight limit. I was under the usual 50-pound limit both times, though. And girls - I did not get souvenirs. Sorry! As you know, we are pinching pennies. So I am saving up for a trip to Greenville, S.C., where I am sure to scare up some good things. It was at that race last year that I brought back custom-decorated sugar cookies. I can do better this year.

As for my two flights (first to Phoenix, then to Omaha), I fell asleep before takeoff each time and only woke up when the plane landed. And I was still tired. So the TV screens that pop down from the ceiling (shown below) went unwatched by me. But I did take a picture so the girls could see them:


Girls, I'm counting the days (1) until I see you. We won't have much time together, but I will get to see you off for your first day of school. So be ready for plenty of pictures, plus donuts from Aunt Dee-Dee.

Heading Home

Interviewing Team Type 1's Glen Chadwick, who finished third.
I am on my way home after nearly a week in Utah. Here is one more image, courtesy of Mario of his fantastic Vero Image photography.

Mario and I were talking about wedding photography, which is the core of their business. I was reminded of what I told Danielle and our wedding photographer - that I didn't want any posed pictures. But I eventually relented (marriage is all about compromise, right?) and we did all the traditional family and couple shots. I'm glad we did. And Mario said when a couple tells him the same thing, they still shoot the traditional shots because there's no going back when the newlyweds are reviewing the initial proofs. Good point.

Three Wins And All In One Day

Rahsaan Bahati won the national criterium title in Illinois.
Rock Racing won three times on Sunday. And the press release was a biggie. (If you spot any typos, it's too late to tell me. I cringe sometimes when I am sending them out at 1:30 in the morning knowing that I'm not functioning on all cylinders.)

Bahati’s National Criterium Title Leads Rock Racing’s Prolific Day

Downers Grove, Ill. — Rahsaan Bahati’s victory Sunday at the Saab USA Cycling Professional Criterium Championship proved to be the crowning moment of the most prolific day – and week – in Rock Racing’s two-year history.

Bahati out-sprinted Alex Candelario (Kelly Benefit Strategies presented by Medifast) and third-place finisher Mark Hekman (Toshiba-Santo Pro Cycling) at the end of the 62-mile (100 km) race to join Rock Racing teammate Justin Williams as a winner of the coveted stars-and-stripes national championship jersey.

Earlier this month, Williams captured the USA Cycling Under-23 National Criterium Championship in Anaheim, Calif. It is believed to be the first time two African-Americans have earned national cycling titles in the same discipline in the same season.

“This has got to be some type of history,” Bahati said after notching his ninth win and receiving a congratulatory call from Rock Racing Team Owner Michael Ball. “There is definitely some significance to it. Perhaps we won’t see it now, but in the future it will carry some weight.”

In addition to Bahati’s win in Downers Grove, Ill., Freddy Cruz, Danny Finneran, Danny Heeley and Iggy Silva captured the team pursuit for Rock Racing Sunday at the USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships, while Williams won the Brentwood (Calif.) Grand Prix and Oscar Sevilla finished in the top 10 overall at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.

Add in three bronze medal finishes (by Silva on Sunday in the 10 km scratch race, Finneran in the 3 km pursuit on Friday and the junior 17-18 criterium on Aug. 7) – as well as Fred Rodriguez’s runner-up placing Friday night on Stage 3 of the Tour of Utah and Sterling Magnell and Kayle Leogrande’s 1-2 finish in Saturday night’s Pro-Am Challenge – and Rock Racing collected five wins, two seconds and three third-place finishes in the span of 10 days.

“I don’t think there’s another team in the world that would allow and promote and support these individuals to the level that they have attained,” Ball said. “Whether it be Rahsaan Bahati, Justin Williams, Oscar Sevilla, Tyler Hamilton or Kayle Leogrande, if it wasn’t for the program we put together collectively, they could not have had these results. It is really, really special.”

Bahati said his second victory at Downers Grove fulfills a season-long goal.

“It was a huge relief to come across the line with my arms up,” Bahati said. “Candelario, Hekman and I came into the last turn NASCAR style – pretty much stacked three-wide with me in the middle. But once we got into the straightaway and I got the gear going, I knew I had it.”

Earlier this spring, things didn’t look so promising for the 26-year-old. He nearly ended his season prematurely after learning that his right thigh bone was overgrown. It created constant pain in his upper thigh on each pedal stroke. Ultimately, he decided against undergoing surgery to correct the problem. That led to wins in Athens and Manhattan Beach and a spot on Rock Racing’s squad for the Tour of Britain next month.

“I told him he’s the fastest man on this planet,” Ball said. “There’s not a race in the world that he can’t win and I believe that whole-heartedly.”

Williams scored an impressive victory of his own Sunday in defeating Tour de Georgia stage winner Ivan Dominguez in an epic sprint down the finishing straight.

“Justin jumped behind him, Dominguez jumped again, Justin jumped again, passed him and took it,” Ball said. “It was just like a classic sprint in the Tour de France.”

In Utah, Sevilla’s seventh-place finish overall led Rock Racing as the five-day event concluded with the KJZZ Time Trial.

The Rock Racing juniors won the team pursuit in Carson City...

...and Justin Williams (right) beat Ivan Dominguez in Brentwood.

One More Day - And A Busy One At That

A pretty cool - and long - slide - (with no water) in Park City.
Park City, Utah - Girls, mark it down. We're going on the road next summer. Together. It won't be on a bike racing weekend (well, maybe it will), but it will be to a pretty fun place. And we're going to fly there for sure.

It pains me to go places where families are enjoying themselves. Until this most recent trip, my pain extended to malls and restaurants. But even before Mom filed for divorce, I would see families with children having fun during my on-site business assignments and think of you and Mom. Now that you are old enough (and Tiny, that means you), we are definitely going to have a special family vacation next year. (One was in the works for this year, but we won't go into that.)

So my final day in Park City, Utah was spent at a motorsports track where the bike race was taking place. Fortunately, we were finished early (and Rock Racing didn't do anything to merit media attention) so I was able to walk around a bit by the hotel and snap a few pictures. It was also a nice rest before all hell broke lose in Illinois and California, which led to the press release in the next post.

I knew Julia would want to know if there was a toilet on "The Beast" so here it is in all its glory. To flush it, you step on a little lever on the left. I was not able to get a photo of the bathroom on the motorcoach, but both are actually much larger restrooms than ones on airplanes. In fact, there's even a shower in each of them! (And yes, I know I still owe you a picture of the outside of The Beast.)

I don't know if you can make this out, but what you see in the picture on the right is a large (very large) cylinder that was so big they needed a construction crew to move the traffic lights as the truck carrying it made the turn onto the highway. And speaking of the highway, on our return to Park City from Salt Lake City, we lucked out and made it through the bridge construction zone - which re-opened early.

A few more miscellaneous pictures:
A pretty cool rock climbing wall was right outside my hotel.

Can you make out the girls jumping on the trampoline
with bungee cords?

This large gorilla slide was in the courtyard of my hotel.

The Long And Winding Road

Although my camera phone doesn't do it justice,
this was one of the most scenic descents.
Park City, Utah - Yes, gas prices are high. And bike racing teams do a lot of driving.

The motorcoach gets about two to four miles to the gallon. "The Beast" gets about eight. And I get tired when I've been out in the sun all day. Can you only imagine how tired the riders are after racing nearly 100 miles over four mountain passes?

That was on the menu today - 15,000 feet of climbing. And the last seven miles were all uphill. It was brutal. I can't wait to bring the girls out here to ski in a few years. They'll absolutely love it. The only drawback to being this high up (7,000 feet and higher altitude) is that your nose seems to be bloody all the time.

Another potential problem today was the unprecedented closing of I-80 for a bridge construction project. We had to make it to the canyon pass before it shut down or we would risk having to drive another 90 minutes out of our way. (We made it.)

Other notes:
- Mom would have loved the old-fashioned student desk that we saw while driving by a yard sale.

- The smell of burning brakes was all over the mountain. At one point, the Rock Racing bus had dozens of cars behind it as it negotiated the trip down the mountain. Dad had to call them to pull over and let everyone (or at least the Escalade with the team owner inside) go by.

Let's get right to the gallery for the rest of the story:
I accompanied Rock Racing soigneurs Sergey (left) and Jen again today.

A picture of a mountain - just for Uncle Jon.

Team chiropractor Rich hangs out in the feed zone
by one of the Escalades. That large flag
helps the riders spot where the soigneurs are feeding.

Toyota-United soigneur Reed McCalvin is ready at the second feed zone.

The Snowbird Ski Resort is where today's race finished.

Fred Rodriguez (left) and Tyler Hamilton (right)
did an autograph signing at a Salt Lake bike shop.
It made for a long day, but they did a great job.

On board "The Beast" with Dan, driver and gracious host.
The picture of Freddie and Tyler (above) was taken inside.

In between all of today's work and excitement, I did get a chance to catch Michael Phelps making history at the Olympic Games. Fortunately, NBC's coverage is tape-delayed here in the Mountain time zone. So the things that you are watching in Omaha around 8, 9 and 10 p.m. are shown here at 9, 10 and 11 p.m.

Friday Night Criterium In Salt Lake City

Recognize the guy in the red shirt overseeing the post-race interview with second-place finisher Fred Rodriguez?
Park City, Utah - What should have been a rather uneventful morning and afternoon turned into an absolute nightmare for a variety of reasons.

It started when I could not get in touch with Danielle and the girls (resulting in a "check on the well-being" call to 911 in Omaha) and included a one-and-a-half mile walk to church (after my ride overslept). Couple that with fulfilling half-a-dozen interview requests and it made for a pretty stressful day.

If you are wondering, the girls and their mom were OK; I arrived to church 10 minutes late (it was all uphill on the walk there) and they didn't take up a collection for some reason; The interviews, for the most part, did come off without a hitch.

Because today's stage of the race was in Downtown Salt Lake City at night, we knew it was going to be a long night - and a short night's sleep - before Saturday morning's stage. Two things held my attention that night. One was setting up and executing an on-stage interview with Rock Racing's team owner that took place during the race. The other was making sure prime parking was reserved for the team's vehicles.

The latter is a chore. The Rock Racing "armada" of vehicles is part of the team's "fan experience" that people turn out to see. So making sure the motorcoach, "The Beast" and the team's Cadillac Escalades and CTS vehicles are prominently displayed was important.

Team photographer Mario and I spent more than an hour saving a massive parking area - while the other teams (probably) complained that they arrived first and should have been able to park in the space. Once on site, though, the Rock Racing riders and staff and team owner were pleased with the setup.

Here is today's gallery:
This ski lift runs right over part of the downtown area of Park City.

These are the parents of Fabio Calabria,
an Australian on Team Type 1 who has Type 1 diabetes.
They are visiting the United States for the first time.

This is a typical sight: people taking pictures
in front of the Rock Racing motorcoach.

Mario snapped another picture of me as darkness fell.
My night was just beginning, of course, because I had to write
a press release and review photos.