What I am doing...

This is my host housing family in Tulsa for the races Tulsa Tough. They were some tough racing but Colavita did great as a team, we really worked well together and got on the podium 2 of the 3 days! Thanks Ostrem's for having us. You guys were awesome!

Me, Kathy, Scott, Jen and the kids Justin and Annika.

Yeah! I got my first NRC podium. Shelley Olds (1st), Me (2nd), and Jennifer Mcrae (3rd).

Lance Armstrong's Bike shop...seems like this is where I have spent most of my time in Austin. A little strange, but this is where my teammate Shontell works...so really not that weird.

Well, this is weird! I guess I am a stocker...this is Lance's home. Shontell took me by and I had to stop and take pictures. It wasn't planned, but a little funny. :)

Then I still need to report about Iron Horse Crit. I WON!!! Again for the second time!!! It was really fun...good competition. I didn't think I could pull it off. I was in a break with a really good sprinter Tiffany Pezzulo and she really made me earn that win.

My mom and I after the race.

My new teammate Tiffany Cromwell. She was so awesome and helped me get into that break, couldn't have done it without her! Thanks Tiff.

Me and my break partners, thanks mom for the good picts.

Me before the break happened.

It's official...

Over the past month I have been up to A LOT! As you know from my previous blog I was released from Michela Fanini and back to the states from Europe. Though I do miss Europe, racing, and my friends. I don't miss the team stuff, so I would say it was the best decision. I have been back in Durango only a little more than a week and it feels good to me "home" and seeing my friends and family.

So I wont keep you on the edge anymore about "It's official".... actually several things!

1. I am officially living at my parents house until August. It's really not that bad, they are great and fun to be around. Plus with racing I am almost never there.

2. It's officially summer in Durango...hit a high of 90 yesterday.

3. It's official that The Steaming Bean in Durango changed owner ship and I think Durango Coffee might have some competition....

Ok, just teasing you (well all that stuff is true) but I will get to the real news....

4. I am officially Carmen M Small again!
Now I just have to change everything. It feels good, but it's such a hassle to change your name...maybe that is why I put it off for so long. ;)

5. I am officially a team member of Colavita Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light!
I am totally excited about joining this team! I had such a great time with them racing at the SE crits and can't wait to race again!

I will try to be better about pictures...this weekend we have the Iron Horse in Durango. I am not doing the RR but I will race the crit. Try to get some good picts from that. And Durango is beautiful so I will try to be better and get some stuff up.

Well, I am officially released from Michela Fanini and very happy to be back in the states. I have thought long and hard about what I wanted to blog about next and have decided just to move on to bigger and better things.

I had been home for no more than a couple of days and got a call from Tina Pic (races for Colavita) and got an invite to guest ride for there team for the SE crit series. So I joined them and have been racing with them for about a week. I have been really lazy about pictures, but here are a few podium picts....

We have been on the podium everyday...with a few wins and hopefully more to come. We have two more races...one tonight and the last race tomorrow. I had forgotten how much I love to race my bike. What a better way to come home...racing with a wonderful team and killing myself every race so they can do there jobs!!!! I LOVE IT!!!

What can I say

Well, I haven't blogged anything because I really have nothing nice to say... My mom always told me if I didn't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Well, maybe that is not always true because I do speak my mind most of the time and really don't hold back (something I picked up from my dad). I guess you will have to wait for all the stuff I can't really say at this moment. BUT.....

Ok, this is how it went...

1. Oh f$#%, this girl next to me is doing an endo her bike...

2. Oh shit, her bike is going to hit me!!!!

3. Wow, that was really close....

4. I have to close this gap!!!

5. Oh, my foot is out of the pedal...

6. Hurry...hurry....hurry...clip back in

7. What the heck...what's going on, I can't clip in

8. Oh F@#* !!! my cleat is broken in half!!!!

9. Oh shit, my radio doesn't work and I can't say anything!!!!

10. Find teammate tell her to tell the DS what is going on....pedal with one leg until the car gets to me and I get in...wow...this sucks!!!! Would much rather be in the race than in the car. Oh well, what can you do, at least I don't have road rash!

What a cleat should look like.....

What my cleat looked like...

What have I been up to?

Well, a lot actually...

I have been really busy it seems and have not forgotten about my blog, just got put to the back burner. Our team had a first race in Switzerland. I forgot how pretty it is there. Switzerland is a wonderful place....but no wonderful muesli because we were close to the Italian boarder, so they like there dolce and cappuccino.

After that we had our team camp #2 and team presentation. I have discovered these tasty little pocket coffees to keep me going. I needed them for the team presentation, 6 hrs of eating, talking to people, and taking pictures was very hard...especially when the day before we were in our kits for 5 hrs taking pictures.

Next very exciting thing was getting to see BEN!!! He came over for some races and to see me! :)

It was such a wonderful time. We rode bikes of course, went to Florence, went to races, had wonderful dinners, and hung out! I was so great getting to see him!

Florence is beautiful place, if you come to Italy it's a must see! I can't wait to go back and do some shopping!

We walked all over looking at the spectacular sculptures, building, and artwork. We had a great dinner and then headed back to Lucca.

Florence is beautiful place, if you come to Italy it's a must see! I can't wait to go back and do some shopping!

This is my new friend Gino, he has been keeping me company. Thanks Ben!

Ben at his race in Italy, it was a tough day having to start in the last row with 100+ men starting. But I had a great day of training while he raced and then finished off watching him come in and thinking..."wow, glad I am not that dirty, think I will stick to road racing!"

First World Cup is coming up this weekend. I hope to have a good report for you. Lucca is getting warm and not so much rain. (well, I probably just jinx us, oops)

For all of you....

....that thought I was complaining or bitching or not having a good time in Italy because of my last blog (it was ment to be funny). This one is for you...

My roommate, teammate, and buddy Carly. She makes me laugh and teaches me Aussie slang, like "I need some T sauce for my snags.”

The riding Toscana is wonderful. There are so many great climbs!!! And the country side is beautiful.

Going to the pet shop in Italy...It looked a little different, no cute puppies and kittens. Instead there was this mangy old cat that Carly thought was sooo cute. It wasn't in my opinion and it smelt bad. I am not a cat lover though....so what can I say.

My roommate, wait I mean roommates donkey, and Flavia the other American.

MY NEW BIKE!

My favorite pizza with breasola and arugula.

It's like a weird dream...

...when

1. you join an Italian cycling team
2. you get yelled at to go faster, faster, faster on a 5 hour ride.
3. on the 5 hr ride you have to be in your 53 the whole time and go faster, faster, faster
4. you figure out this is how every ride will be, there is no other way to train than #2 & 3
5. you go to immigration and get pushed and punched in the ribs...more to this story, email me if you want to know the details...check out the picture

6. the Italians in the house start cleaning and no one tells the non Italian what is going on.
7. 5 kilos of cheese is almost gone in a week and only 3 of the 7 people are eating it. Wow and they are "on a diet"??
8. it's 11:30pm and you are trying to sleep and there is someone in the bathroom talking on the cell phone...and you have to get up at 7:00 to go to immigration.
9. your helmet is so big you look like a bobble head. It will really save my head from getting crushed when I crash and it falls off. But we will get our race helmets "domani" oh and our race bikes.
10. when the lady in the red lipstick (in the picture at immigration) asks me in Italian if I speak German...I just told her that I speak English (but in Italian). Then she managed to grab my bag and try to rip me from the counter...what a morning that was.
11. When the Italians don’t even slow down for red light and we are just praying there are no cars coming through the intersection.
12. you don't understand what they are telling you in Italian so they just repeat and talk louder, because you will then be able to understand some how.
13. something that should take only 2 hours takes half the day...even a conversation that should be a simple yes or no turns into some complicated argument.

But let me tell you the cappuccinos, hot chocolate, and the views on the rides are so, so, so wonderful!!! I guess it is worth it. :)