On The Road Again

Arriving in sunny Dallas Thursday morning, on my way to California.
Santa Barbara, Calif. - And so it begins. The 2009 cycling season is underway, with training camps for teams all over the country. Only one pro team is holding its camp in the Santa Barbara/Solvang/Buellton, Calif., area and that's Team Type 1.

Save for a quick three-hour nap, I spent nearly the entire time before my trip packing, working and mentally preparing for a long grind. I thought this magazine cover (pictured below) was pretty funny. It reminds me of Travis Justice's old saying on the "Todd & Tyler" morning radio program.

Of course, it would figure that the first time I had been on an airplane in nearly two months, something would happen. Yes, the announcement of the final teams for the Amgen Tour of California was made, probably about the time I was flying over the southern tip of Nevada. So when I landed in Santa Barbara, I was greeted by host of text messages and e-mails congratulating me on making it back (and I'm not even racing in it). I might have actually been on the ground when the press release went out, but my American Airlines plane had problems with its nose gear (before taking off from Dallas) so we switched planes.

The weather in Santa Barbara was mild - low 60s - and the first rain in a month was falling when I walked from the lobby of the Fess Parker Doubletree Hotel to my room. The rain was on and off, but it wasn't enough to stop one guy from enjoying the hot tub that sits by the pool. The nice amenity upon arrival was the warm, chocolate chip cookie that they give each person when they check it. Of course, it was not a good start to my plan to lose 10 pounds over the next week.

I always joke that the Santa Barbara airport is the smallest
in the world. (It's not.)

Threatening skies kept people away from the pool.

My first-floor room features a walk-out patio.

I am rooming with Marco Colbert, a tradition started last year.

This view of the beach is where a stage of the Tour of California has started the past two years.

Our first item on the agenda: a Thursday night all-team meeting
with dozens of athletes and staff.
So, I'll do my best over the next couple of days to share some insight into training camp. You can keep up to speed hour-by-hour through the Team Type 1 twitter reports, as well as see photos and read stories on the Team Type 1 blog.