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. :)

Team Training Camp The Italian Way

I am back in Lucca Italy for another adventure...2009

One of the many photo shoots we had during camp. You can check out more pictures and an article on the team web site.

One of the rides...I am so happy to be back on the small roads and the beautiful country side of Tuscany! Flavia, Carly, Rosane, Sara, and Serena. I was taking the picture.

Me! My helmet is soooo big! A lot of good it does, I have it the tightest it will go and it still doesn't fit. I won’t give in to the Euro ways and go with out it. So for now, it will look ridiculous until we get our race helmets. Until then...

WOW, do I need to say anything else!

Teammates

The director of the team Alfonso and me after one of our rides.

Carly (Assie), Luigi (massage therapist), and me.

After an awesome climb, what a view! Giulia and me.

We are finished with team camp and are now back at the team house in Lucca. We will have another team camp next month, I think the second week in February. Hopefully the weather will be getting better soon. It is raining a lot, but expected that so I am not too surprised. So far it has been a learning experience, they do things differently in Italy so you just have to go with the flow. I haven't cracked yet, but have come close several times. It helped a lot when we got internet at the team house. I can now be connected to my friends and family which helps so much. Until next time....thanks for reading...hopefully I will have some funny stories to tell soon. Like when I arrived and the owner of the team grabbed my side to check if I was too fat and then when I met his brother he did the same thing. WOW never had that happened before.

Happy New year!

Ben and I went on a walk with his dad (Klaus) on Christmas day. The weather was finally getting nice...even though it doesn't look that nice. The first couple of days we were there I don't think I went out side because it was so cold and or rain/snowing.

We went up Oberwoessen close to Reit Im Winkl, to where his brother lives for a few days. We had an awesome time nordic skiing and riding.

A church in Reit Im Winkl, this was such a cute little town!

Bernd, Ben, and I after our ride through the Alps. What a wonderful day. Bernd was our wonderful tour guide, and Ben's brothers wife's brother. (wow that was a lot)

On our Christmas day walk. That area had a horrible storm that blew down millions of trees, they are still cleaning up from this storm.

Me

Ben and I after one of our rides in Kahler Asten, the highest mountain in the area. The views were beautiful.

Klaus and Ben

Who can guess where this is? Hint...I didn't go there...the picture is from someone else, but it is so beautiful I had to put it up.