It was a day of hard racing today at Redlands. The haze was so thick that it actually shows in my photographs. I took a lot of shots, but it was one of those days where nothing seemed to be a good shot. I had a press credential, so I was driven around the course and dropped off wherever I wanted to shoot, and then picked up the next lap to go somewhere else. The vehicle was full of photographers and we were all jumping out and then running like hell to catch the van again the next lap. The Redlands race organizers are great about providing transportation around the course for the Media folks.

I chatted it up with Damon, Dave Z, Tony and Patrick before the race. I felt bad for the guys – there was no team car and no support people for them. Family members and friends did the feed zone for the guys – Tony Cruz had a bunch of great people there, both Damon and Dave Z had their girlfriends and Patrick’s parents were there. Those that did not feed were the cheering squad. They did not need me to do the feed zone, so I shot pics. But Jelly Belly, Webcor and others had team cars, DS and soigneurs, however the Posties were all on their own today for their shot at the Olympics. It just didn’t seem right to me…

I’m too fried to put up my pics tonight, so I will do it tomorrow after I get home. I have an early flight back to San Jose in the morning. It really takes along time to go thru hundreds of shots and pick out the presentable ones, then upload them a few at a time, and then go back a write a caption, or even just names, for each one. It takes forever, it seems like, at the end of a long day. It is the same thing when I write my daily report for Lance’s site from the Tour. I am usually up till midnight or later getting it written and sent. It feels like it takes me hours on my laptop. Then up about 5 am to drive to the start of the next stage. Wow - I’ll be heading over to Paris very soon!

Hello from Redlands! I arrived this morning, and drove the course – pretty mean – no piece of cake, for sure. It will really be a challenge for the guys, who do not start racing until 12:30. It is hot and really polluted down here. I pulled over on Panorama Point for a look - the horizon was covered with an ugly brown haze. The riders are saying they are choking while they are riding, and the heat makes it worse.

I went by Redlands Cyclery and walked in the door to find Fast Freddie sitting on the floor, stretching out. He was getting ready to preview the course with a local guy. I warned him about the road conditions on some parts of the course – really rough and a lot of loose dirt and gravel on the descents. Lots of narrow, tricky curves… Freddie invited me back later this evening for a poster signing and a sample of his coffee. Good stuff..

Talked with a nice guy, Art, who is the manager of the store and told him about my Podium Girl Gone Bad book, which should be ready in about week. He says he is gonna order it for both the Redlands and Riverside shop, so look for it there in a couple of weeks, if you live in the area. If not, ask your local shop or bookstore to order it. Or you will be able to order it directly from my booklocker.com site - the page should be up in a week or so. I'll give you more info in about a week - the ISBN number, etc. And it will be up on www.podiumgirlgonebad.com. It will be a really unique gift for the cyclist who has everything.

Can’t wait to see Dave Z in his championship jersey tomorrow, if the riders are allowed to wear their championship kit – the race rules may prevent that. But wouldn’t it be cool to see DZ and Freddie both in their stars and stripes?

Hopefully, I will have some good shots to put up in my gallery tomorrow night.

Wachovia Week in Philly is over and what an incredible event it was! For me, it continues today, Monday, with assisting the teams with breakfast, schedules and answering tons of questions. Since I am the face they see at all team meals, they think that I can help with any question that they have. Not! But I try to help and do a lot of chasing around to get the answers that they need.

You can’t imagine the logistics of getting all the teams, luggage and bikes to the airport. We rent a fleet of vans and trucks, and all of us drive airport runs. Moving a cycling team is like moving a small army – it is really amazing!

I was up at 4:30 am on race day, assembling the course marshal supplies and lists. Boxes of whistles, lanyards and tee shirts, volunteer lists, sign-up sheets and instructions, maps of the course and race brochures – all had to be lugged out to a truck and set up at the meeting location on the race course. At least it was daylight here. Last October, at the Tour of Hope in Los Angeles and in DC, I set up everything in the dark. It was quite a challenge, and there were already some great volunteers waiting in the dark for me to arrive.

Here in Philly, there are many folks who have worked the same location for years. They show up, grab their stuff and head out to their posts. We are always happy to see new faces, and there were several this year. However, we were short of the number of folks that had signed up. That always creates some last-minute strategic changes for me, as you can imagine. But all’s well that ends well – the race was a great success, and all my volunteers did a great job!

I was behind the podium with the winners on Sunday, when a woman brought a VeloNews mag up to Freddy Rodriguez for an autograph. It was the issue that had the great sprinter, Pettachi, on the cover. Freddy signed his name and, with a smile, drew a little mustache on Pettachi.

What a race in Lancaster! Thunderstorms and sunshine and great racing. The Posties all rode hard and rode well. Everybody tested the Posties, but they hung tough, and Max charged in for the victory. Bobby Julich took a flyer on the last few laps, but could not sustain. John Lieswyn said in the press conference that the last few laps, there was a Postie second wheel everywhere. Said if anyone tried to attack, they took a Postie with them. Great riding by my guys – I love ‘em… There were a lot of muddy smiles on their fades – they knew that they all had a big part in Max’s win. I could see the determination on their faces as flew by me, after lap on the wet road.

Had really great volunteers in Lancaster – most of them are super folks who come back every year. They hung in thru the downpours and kept the riders safe. We could not do the race without them and I greatly appreciate every one of them.

I reluctantly left my Nikon 2DH at home and brought my little Sony Fv717. It does a nice job if I am close and nobody moves. When I work the races as the coordinator of volunteers, there is usually not much time to take pics, nor is it appropriate for me to spend very much time taking shots. I was also concerned that my expensive Nikon might get lifted when my back was turned. So my pics here at the Wachovia will be few and not great quality.

Check out the pics of Max winning in Wachovia-Lancaster at www.velogal.smugmug.com or click on the link on the right...