The Night Before the Prologue

It’s now Thursday evening, the night before the prologue. It took us two days  of driving to get here from Chevy Chase, Maryland–825 miles. Less than many others. Our team mechanic drove all the way from Fargo, North Dakota. Of course, that pales by comparison to the racing team from Japan. Other teams have come from the Kazakhstan, the Ukraine, New Zealand, France, …see the photos of team cars at my KodakGallery site. If you’re not on my photo distribution list, just send me an email to bikerider4evr@gmail.com.

(By the way, if you see a photo you like there, just let me know and I’ll try to send you the original jpeg file–subject to time constraints and the number of requests.)

The boys are anxious to start racing. Most teams were out warming up this evening, despite the rain and wet roads. It rained for most of the drive up, with occasional downpours that forced us to slow to a crawl on the freeway. But, by the time we arrived in Val-d’Or, the clouds were breaking up and the sun was peeking thru in a few spots. Weather forecast for the next few days calls for cooler-than-average temps, with scattered showers most days. Looks like it’ll be hit and miss–very similar to last year. Fortunately, last year, the riders only had to put up with rain for a good portion of one road race. Otherwise, the clouds only barked, but never bit. Let’s hope we’re as lucky this year.

This year’s race has been shortened by two days and 3 stages, probably because of the UCI Juniors Nations Cup L’Abitibi, where national teams compete for four days (July 31-Aug 3). I heard a rumor, though, that one trade team (Hot Tubes) will also be competing in the Nations Cup.

Anyways, back to Val-d’Or for the present race. When we arrived at the high school around 3:30 p.m., Mac and Sam had already arrived, along with Larry, Oscar, and his wife, Liz. Tony, Colton, and Ricky were still to arrive. Registration didn’t start until 5 p.m., but by 4 p.m., the team was able to start moving their belongings into their room.

Tomorrow’s schedule calls for the presentation of riders at 5 p.m., warm-ups at 6 p.m., and the prologue sprints start at 7 p.m.

I guess that’s about it for now. If you have any questions or comments, please use the comment option on this blog, or send me a bilateral email at my address above.

Ride safe,

Tags: cycling