I was walking over to the hotel from the Bulldog a few minutes ago, and I saw a huge meteor or something flashing down, very low in the sky. Looked like it was falling on Santa Barbara – it was bright and, no kidding, huge… Yes, of course I made a wish just in case it was a magical falling star.

This morning, it seemed a bit chaotic as it was team photo time. All the guys come down to the parking lot to get their bikes, ride down to the photo area in their tennies, get the individual shots and then the team shots, then ride back to the parking lot to change into their cleats. Lots of milling around and getting organized and re-organized.

The guys split into two groups, as usual. I followed Johan and the Tour group, while Dirk took the Classics group. The Tour group sailed right up the climbs like a piece of cake. I told Chechu at the end that he hadn’t even broken a sweat – he looked cool and elegant as he always does. Sean Yates rode with the guys today, and boy, does that guy have legs! Nobody is going to leave Sean behind on any of these mountains. He kicked butt on Figuroa last year.

I chatted with Higgs and Lance briefly this morning – they were heading down to the photo shoot. Lance was in the team pics, along with the Directeur Sportifs. The funny thing was that their shoot location is on the golf course, and people kept playing through in the background. Every time they got the guys all lined up and looking spiffy, a group of leisurely golfers would putt around forever behind them. The photog would have to call a halt to the shot, and then the guys would start clowning around and wiggling out of position. Then they’d have to start all over again when the background was clear. It happened several times and I’m sure it was frustrating to everyone, but kinda funny to watch.

New pics are up, including Ivan Basso in his new Time Trial helmet.. Click on the Link below..