Hello everyone, Jim Langley reporting:
Well, we're here in hot, humid Louisville. No problems yesterday with the flights. Got here on time and the 3 bikes made it too, though I almost lost mine to a woman who had the same bike case and took off with mine before Mark and I got to the baggage area. I had to sprint after her to catch her.
We're at the race hotel, the Galt House, which is a pretty swanky place (photo). Had a nice buffet breakfast this morning in the hotel. We also went out and rode the course. Pretty tough. Lots of little hills, many tight corners, always up and down. With the heat and humidity it should be a serious test.
Here are some photos taken so far but not in order. The racing photo is the women's 30-35 race which happened to go by when we were checking out the course. There are some sights of Louisville and the hotel. That's us on the curb at SJ Airport figuring how best to check the bikes (we used the sky cap - $50 per bike is Southwest's fee, which is cheap).
I race tomorrow at noon. It seems like the humidity is high in the morning but cooling as the day wears on. We're expecting a super fast criterium-like start. The race begins with a dangerous serious of downhill corners. It'll be important to be up front. On the backside of the course is a reasonably stiff double-stage climb. We think the deciding move will happen here. From the top it should be possible to stay away until the uphill finish. But, we expect repeated attacks and intense action throughout.
Over 'n out for now,
Jim & Mark
Watch my twitter page for updates as possible. That's at www.twitter.com/jimlangley It's easier/faster to upload photos and soundbites.
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2 comments:
sounds like everything is in place for a great race tomorrow Jim. Were you able to pre-ride the course today?
Yes, Matt, we went around 4 times. The start is going to be fast. Several tight turns back to back and one that breaks left hard. We want to be on the front line so we can follow a safe line there. Another key spot is on the backside of the course, called Cocheran Hill (sp?). This goes up in 2 stages and has a left in the middle. You can let the group go here, but if the strong guys punch it, and then gas it again, it's going to be punishing to say the least. We're looking fwd to racing smart and counting on all the hard training keeping us in there. There's more news on the blog and twitter. I'll update you tomorrow after the race. Think good thoughts around 9am tomorrow and again at 11 on Tues for Mark ;-)
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