I just sat here and wrote a long post, hit publish and got an error message and lost the whole thing. Hello Google - get it together on this blog site revision stuff, OK? So here I go again...

Left San Jose at 6:15 am and flew to Phoenix, where we sat on the tarmac for over an hour due to thunderstorms in the mid-west. Arrived in Philly at 5:45 pm. One of my coworkers, David, picked me up in a new Subaru Official Wachovia race vehicle. So cool, with Wachovia signage all over it and new car/new leather smell. Nice - really zipped right along. Quickly dumped my luggage at the hotel and walked about 8 blocks to an Italian restaurant to have dinner with the Subway and Saeco teams. Sat with the Subway team - really nice bunch of guys.

On my way out of the hotel, I ran into some of the Postie team - Laurenzo Lapage, DS for the Wachovia, and Max Van Heeswick. We did the quick kiss, kiss Belgian greeting, and then the rest of the guys showed up - they were heading out to a different Italian restaurant for dinner. They all looked tough and lean and like they could eat a lot of carbo-load pasta.

Came back to the hotel in that same Subaru and hung out in the lounge until midnight, talking with the head race official and some other folks about the new UCI rules and American cycling. I could talk cycling all night...

Turns out that a lot of folks have aready heard about my Podium Girl Gone Bad merchandise... The DS for one of the womens teams says that a bunch of the gals have aready bought the famous PGGB Thong. I wore my PGGB spaghetti top and carried the PGGB lunchbox, which I use as a leetle purse. Everybody loved the stuff... BTW, my book is now at the publishers, and should be ready by the end of June. Title: The Podium Girl Gone Bad - Behind the Podium Tales from the Tour de France. It will be a really unique gift for the cyclist who has everything. Yes, I will give a copy to Lance and Sheryl - maybe I will even autograph it for Lance.. Whoo Hah, he will grin about that one!

Been neglecting my Blog again. I am getting ready to head out for Philly on Sunday, the 30th at o'dark thirty in the morning. I work in Race Headquarters and also am the "Food Police" for the team meals. Basically, this year, I will escort the European teams to their meals and make sure that they get what they need, that nobody bothers them and that nobody sneaks in to eat freebies. Then I also coordinate and supervise the volunteer course marshals at each of the three races.

Early in the morning on race day, we meet with the volunteers to train them, give them their freebies and tell them where their posts will be. After that, it is racing around the course to trouble-shoot any potential problems, and to give lunch and water to the volunteers. There are many great volunteers in Philly - dedicated folks who come back every year, and we love them!

And there are a very few who show up just to get a tee shirt and lunch, then take off. I try to remember them so I won't assign them to a crucial post and then find out, when I do my last minute tour of the course, that the spot is empty. Last year, I assigned a couple of guys to the start/finish line area, and by the time I had packed up the leftover tee shirts, etc, and walked out to the course, they were sitting up in the stands. I asked them what they were doing, and they just shrugged and said they didn't feel like voluntering any more. I felt like making them give the course marshal tee shirts back!

But most folks are just great. You know, they stand out on the course for hours, rain or shine. They sometimes take a lot of crap from drivers who are angry about detours or not getting to cross the course. But when the riders fly by just a few feet away, and the crowd roars, it is all worth it to know that you are an important part of the race. We could not put on a race without those special volunteers, and I thank you in advance if you have signed up. If not, come on out and be a part of the race. You are essential to keeping the riders safe....

I hear that Lance and the guys just stomped all over the peloton in the last 20 km of today's stage in Languedoc. Johan sent all eight guys to the front, and they were the bosses big time. Nobody attacked after that! Nope, they were not trying to win the stage, just doing a Blue Train power trip. Now the press is reporting that Johan says that a new sponsorship is "close". Boy, they are really hanging on every word that comes out of his mouth...

Hey, have you ordered your Yellow Live Strong bracelet yet? I ordered twenty to give away to friends. All proceeds go to the LAF, ya know. Go to www.wearyellow.com or to the www.laf.org site.

The guys are riding steady and solid in the two races, Belgium and France. As far as I know, none of our guys were in the big crash in Belgium. Or if they were, no serious injuries. Speaking of injuries, one of our greatest supporters, Andy A. in Ireland, recently got hit by a car while riding in a fundraiser. The Tour of UK is raising funds to fight cancer in a 900 mile ride. I hear that the guy who was driving got out of his car, swearing and yelling at Andy. Andy was lying the road with a horribly broken ankle. The guy got in his car and drove off... Andy was hospitalized and had to have surgery. I hear that he is in a bright orange cast and is following the rest of the Tour in a support van. Here is our best to Andy.

A quick update on the Tour Baby Party in San Francisco - when you buy a $50 ticket, you also get a copy of the new Tour Baby DVD! And a chance in a raffle to get a copy signed by Lance! Tickets are limited, so grab yours pronto! www.thetourbaby.com

And an update on the upcoming The Podium Girl Gone Bad book... I am finally ready to send it to the publisher. I'll let you all know the release date... I think that it is gonna be a really cool little book. Very unique, for sure!

Lots happening today on the race scene. Lance and one Postie team are racing in the Languedoc-Rossillon and Victor and another team are doing the Tour of Belgium. Nice to see Victor as team captain in Belgium, and very nice to hear that Dave Z is racing. Recall that last year he crashed out in the TdB, and not too long after was the crummy accident where he got hit by some woman driving(?) an SUV. So let's send our best vibes to Z for an excelllent race!

Great excitement about the Johan Bruyneel quote in Reuters that a new sponsore had already signed on, but it was clarified today in cyclingnews.com that there is still no sponsor "in the bag". My guess is that we will hear something by Tour time... I am reading the press releases that Subaru has signed Lance for more than just next year, can't remember if it was three or five years as spokesman for the "Driven by What's Inside" campaign. Boy, is that perfect or what? And then Coca Cola has also signed on as a sponsor with Lance. Theme is something about being Real... I still have musette bags from the Tour a couple of years ago with Coca-Cola all over them... And I recall my delight when I found a Coke machine one sweltering day that had the coldest, icy cokes in it. In general, France does not use ice in drinks, or only a couple of small cubes when you ask for it. A small, room-temp glass of coca-cola in most bars is three euro. But you can sit and a watch the Tour stage for three hours if you want to, and want to breathe the thick, never-ending cigarette smoke.

Here is a heads-up for the San Fran Bay area folks. Scott Coady is having his TourBaby! DVD release party on May 27th in SF. It is a benefit for the LAF and you can go to The Tour Baby! for info. Dan Osipow will talk a bit about the Posties, and the DVD will be shown. I think it's a $50 pop to get in, but all for a good cause. I'll be there as a guest of Scott - very nice! Thanks, Scott.

Have just been surfing the Net for Postie diaries. I have my usual stops to check out what is happening with the guys. The most prolific writers are the two Michaels. Michael Barry writes for VeloNews, for Pedal Mag and also posts something up on Paceline, I think. Mike Creed has his own unique view on his website. He is always fun to read. I am continually amazed that Michael B. can find the time and energy after a race to sit down and write. I see a book in his future. Speaking of that, look for a tiny book from me in the next few weeks. Soon, Podium Girl Gone Bad can belong to you! Stay tuned....

When I follow the Tour and write daily reports, as I did last year for LA.com and in 2002 for Active.com, it was always midnight before I even got set up in the hotel and went through the trauma of trying to connect to the Internet on phone lines with cyber gremlins to the max. Everyone thinks it is such a lark, but follwing the Tour, driving hundreds of kilometers every day and then being creative, sending stories and photos on 14kbs phone lines is quite a drain on one's resources. Internet connection problems on a daily basis always stresses me out.

This year I am making arrangements to use my T-Mobile cell phone to connect my laptop to the Internet in cases where I do not have an adequate phone set up. No sure about how prevalent WiFi is in France, especially in the tiny villages where we usually stay. I think zilch... If you have experience with T-Mobile laptop connectivity in France, give me your tips....

What was I saying last blog about the Posties who race without much recognition? Well, here is a guy who gives his very best in many races around the USA, and we hear very little about it. Robbie Ventura raced the Cap Tech Classic on May 8th. He came in at 11th place, but he was ONE second behind the winner. That must have been one exciting finish. Robbie is a great guy and deserves a whole lot more recognition for what he does for US Postal. He enters these races without any team support, rides his butt off, and has some great finishes... Thanks, Robbie, we appreciate you....

Today was a really cool day. I got up early - I'm talking really early, to drive up to Pinole for the Berkeley Hills race. Went to the sign-in and was rather awed by the number of guys and gals that I had seen sweating and flying by me at Cat's Hill yesterday. Jeez, they had raced a gruelling race yesterday - the Pro/1/2 race did not finish until about 5:30 pm. They got up at the crack of dawn for a 7:30 am start this morning! The guys had climbed Cat's Hill about 35 times, yet here they were for more suffering and a very little bit of glory.

Met up with Dave Z and his really great girlfriend, Randi. As soon as the race started, she and I headed for the feed zone, counter-clockwise on the course. We found our spot on a great feed zone site - long uphill climb - just perfect for feeding. It was an 85 mile course, and the riders passed by four times. I did the feed for DZ, and Randi stood a bit further away, as back-up, in case my feed screwed up. She could make sure he got his bottle. I love doing the feed zones, and do it well. And DZ is solid, so he got his bottle every time. Way cool, super cool. Love it!! Now I need to graduate to Postie team feeding. Johan, Dirk, Laurenzo - are you there? Can Feed, Will Travel...

I got just a few shots of DZ, just quick ones with not great composition, but I'll put them up on my smugmug gallery. You can access the gallery from the menu on the right.

Wow - did our Posties look good at Dunquerque? Max and Stijn got stage wins, but we know that the other guys set it up and worked their butts off to achieve these wins. Great job, everyone.. we're proud of you all... The "silent" riders, who do not get their names in the news, but suffer and work their tails off need to be acknowledged, too.

The Cat's Hill Classic today was a great race, with about 600 registered riders. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful race. Everything went smoothly and we got a lot of thanks from the riders. I course marshalled at the bottom of the Cat's Hill all day long. Cat's Hill is a daunting 23% grade short climb, and the Pro racers do it about 35 times. Talk about lactic acid build-up.

It was really funny - I kept seeing this guy in a last year's Postal kit that looked like Dave Zabriskie. I was trying to figure out how someone was wearing a Postie kit to race in... Well, I had just received an email from Z, saying that his next race was the Tour of Belgium, so I kept telling myself that I was nuts thinking it looked so much like him. At the end of the race, I was directing the riders off the course, and who should ride up to me but DZ! I said, "I didn't know that you were going to be here!" and he said, "I didn't know that you were going to be here!" One of those you-hadda-be-there things.... I swear, Dave was not even sweating - he looked like he had just ridden around the block, instead of a 23% suffer-fest.

So, anyway, he is racing the Berkeley Hills race tomorrow morning at 7 am, and I am going up to help his girlfriend, Randi, with the feedzone bit....Two long days for me, but I love it

So, Stijn takes a great stage win today at Dunkerque (I like this spelling). I hear it was really crummy, cold conditions. Max comes in at seventh, I think. They are both racing really well....

I think that the Lance Chronicles are just great - I just love seeing all the places where I was with the Posties! Kinda like looking at the family album, I guess. I got a kick out of seeing a glimpse of my green Go Lance car parked beside the Postie truck in the parking lot at Solvang. Lots of TV exposure for Lance and friends. Heads Up - tomorrow night, Lance's Mom will appear on David Letterman Show.

Be sure and check out the article in USA Today about team sponsorship and the future of the team. According to Bill Stapleton, there are hundreds of US companies who have expressed interest in the title sponsorship when the USPS sponsorship ends. The article says that Lance is under contract thru 2005 to ride for the team, and then for two more years in a non-racing capacity. I betcha they would let him race in 2006 if he wants to!! The big deal next year is the new UCI reorganization of the Pro Tour that requires the teams to ride in all three Grand Tours, which will mean the team budget will increase substantially to cover the additional costs.

I just received the actual merchandise order with my Podium Girl Gone Bad logo - the thong is soo cute! Everybody who sees the PGGB stuff just loves it... Go to www.cafepress.com/pggb to have look.

Hmmm - seems like the days have shot by since I've been back from Georgia and I haven't posted anything here. Man, I had so much stuff waiting for me to do!

So. I got a quick note from Dave Z, saying that he's doing well, and he will be racing the Tour of Belgium on May 19-23 with one of the Postie teams. Lance will be racing the Languedoc Rousillon at the same dates with another Postie team. Robbie is gonna do the Cap Tech Classic this Saturday, May 8th - don't know who, if anyone from the team, will be with him. There will be a Postie team at the Four Days of Dunkerque on May 5 -9. Lot of action from the Blue Train in May.

Right now, my cycling club, the Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club, is in the final week before we put on the 30th Annual Cat's Hill Classic. Imagine! Thirty years without fail, this little club has put on a major cycling event that has drawn the likes of Greg Lemond, Dylan Casey, Eric Heiden, Bob Roll, Tony Cruz, Trent Klasna, Eric Wohlberg and a whole bunch of pro riders. No, Lance has never done this tough little crit.

I talked to Bob Roll at the Tour de Georgia, and asked him what his recollection was about Cat's Hill. Without batting an eye, he said, "When I saw Greg Lemond climb the Cat's, I knew that I was destined to be an also-ran." I also spoke with Davis Phinney in Georgia, and he called Cat's Hill the "quintessential cycling event in California." He is such a courageous person, and the effects of his Parkinson's Disease are becoming more noticible. He has had a lot of support in forming his Parkinson's Disease Foundation for research.... He is totally committed to the cause.

So here is a heads-up to look for Podium Girl Gone Bad to make her appearance a couple of places on the Net. Doing some testing and tweaking right now - I'll let you guys know when and where PGGB will appear.