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. :)

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.

Winter and New Team!!!

Bad news...The snow finally came!

We (cyclists) were pretty lucky up until Thanksgiving. Then the snow and cold weather came. I had been riding with long sleeves and vest and Thanksgiving I was riding inside on the rollers! NOT FUN! But it looks like it is going to get nice again, with a high of 42 degrees today and tomorrow the high will be 43 degrees (waaahooo). Ok, well it could be worse it could keep snowing, but at least I can ride on clear roads!!!!

Good news... I leave January 11 to join my new team in Lucca Italy!!!!

I signed with Michela Fanini Record Rox and I can't wait for the new racing season. I am moving over there January 11 and will be there until the end of September. Hopefully I will be able to come back for Nationals. I am learning Italian and that has been a really challenging task. I think that is the most intimidating thing for me with this new chapter of my life. Well, I hope to have more stories over the Holidays and I will for sure have a lot of stories once I get to Italy!!!

Cyclocross

Before I got sick I did a local cyclocross race and I had so much fun!!!!

Here are some pictures...

I AM ALIVE!!!!

Well, the past week I was on the couch and thinking I was going to die (well, not literally, but felt really really sick). When I got back from California I got a phone call from Emily Z saying, "do you have poison oak? Scott does." I laughed and said no, hahaha, I don't sucks for him. No more than a couple hours later I started to itch and see little bump in my leg. I thought, "oh shit, I have poison oak and just made fun of Scott for having it." That's carma for you.

Well, the poison oak was in full force for the following week and I thought surely it should start to feel better soon. Then I came down with a sore throat and that night had a temp of 102 degrees and thought I was just getting the flu. A couple of days later I still had a fever with sore joints and muscle and then my mouth started breaking out with sores. I had about 30 sores and had gone to the urgent care twice. The doctor did not help me at all, but gave me Hydrocodone and sent me on my way. The next day I was worse with more sores, now on my tongue and on the top of my mouth. I went to a regular doctor and finally she gave me something that helped. A few hours later I started to feel better and the fever went away! So if I wouldn't have gotten poison oak and I probably wouldn't have gotten this kids mouth virus. Everything is clearing up and I can see the light!!!! I can't wait to get back on the bike and enjoy these wonderful Fall days before winter hits!!!!!

I don't have any pictures to show, you wouldn't want to see them anyhow. I will put some up of the Dolores cross race that I did. Soon, hopefully!

Bike Safety!

Bike safety is so important and it is sometimes forgotten about. I recently went and had a bike safety talk to Floriday Mesa Elementary School's third graders. They were a wonderful listeners and wrote me great letters thanking me for coming in. Here are some pictures form the talk.

Talking about hand signals. It's important to use them correctly... and to use them!

The most impprtant thing...THE HELMET!!!!

The kids wanted to see me ride the bike. I didn't do any tricks, not because they didn't ask more because I don't know how.

I had such a good time and hopefully the kids learned a lot and it made a difference. Thanks to specialized for the awesome helmets the kids got!!! They all like them and have been using them. Hopefully just wearing them and not to many crashes.