Not a whole lot going on today... We rode with the sponsors this morning - about a fifty-mile repeat loop of the area. We had two police motos and two patrol cars as an escort - amazing how seeing black and white calms down road rage. And I always thought blue or green were the colors that made people more tranquil. But, all the drivers were quite civil and patient - how nice for all 70 sponsor cyclists and the team. It was a mellow ride and a mellow morning.

Most of the Belgian guys left last night - Dirk, Johan and Sean are still here. Vince and Julien are doing the wrenching. Dave is here, not sure what other soigneurs remained - I didn’t see anyone else. The riders are all leaving immediately after the short training ride tomorrow. George is flying out at midnight tonight.

I had dinner with the team and a few guests. I sat with Johan, Dirk, Chechu, Triki, Ace and Benjamin - George joined us for a bit. Yeah, I know - tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it. These guys are all just the greatest and so funny. I mostly listened, cause the language of choice was Spanish - I grabbed a word now and then, and caught the gist of most of the joking. These guys are all so nice to me, and I appreciate them so much.

I am staying at the Best Western Ojai - it’s really a good deal and very nice. They have free wifi - that’s all I care about! Had a killer Herradura Silver margarita at Antonio’s - my chili verde burrito was not outstanding, but a good enough early lunch. Ojai is really a friendly, mellow place, but the highway traffic is horrendous.

I’ll leave for a long drive home right after the ride, so the blog and pics may be delayed till late or Monday morning. I want to thank you all again for your emails - I am glad to be able to share a bit of the team happenings with you. I won’t see all the guys together until this time next year. I’ll miss them...