como in bici sunday ridin!

There are certain things that only happen in italy! I left for a ride with one jersey on and came back with a different one! Oscar and I decided to go for a nice,easy, med-long spin on sunday and we ran into this great group from Como in bici.  they were kind enough to let the girl hang with them. I had a borrowed aluminium bike and they were making fun of the "so pro" with such a bike! Regardless, they were "impressed" with my mad skills hahahha!! turns out that the president of the team is friends with Max.  Lol maybe that was the reason why they gave me the jersey.  The good news is that they live nearby the World Championship Course for 2009 in Mendrisio, and I am gonna have a crowd cheering for me! Its soo nice to hear people yell out your name when you are racing! I had that awesome surprise at Flanders when my friend Mike Audley was on vacation and had come out to watch the suffer fest and cheered as I was going up one of the Muirs.  So nice! thanks again you guys for all the support!! every little bit counts and it goes a loooong way!!

TIME OUT!!

Hello there! I have been out of reach for the last 15 days since the love of my life came to visit me here in italy! Nathan and his friend Dave came to visit me while I had 2 weeks off of racing...and it was great! I needed it so badly! To get away and to refresh my mind and see people I love and miss so much! I miss home. You might not see me writing a lot about it, but I do,very much, I just avoid talking about it. Anyhow, they arrived May 24th and stayed til June 8th. They went home and I am now in Spain for more racing! They arranged to stay with a friend that lives in Stabio, Switzerland, only 2km away from the World Championship course that is going to be held at in Mendrisio.  Oscar and his family where the best hosts I have ever had! They were awesome!We had a blast! He(is triathlete) took us on the course for the RR as well as the TT.  It is definitely going to be VERY challenging course! We also did some amazing riding around lake Como and lake Lugano, as well as the Swiss Alps...so beautiful! Those boys were not letting me have it easy either...ripped my legs off haha...no rest for the little ones! They also came to Lucca, in Tuscany to see where I live and meet the team and the entourage!  We stayed at a hotel 30mis away and right on the beach in Lido the Camaiore.  It was awesome, believe it or not this was the first time I actually have gone to the beach and it is only 3omins away!!that is sad! We also went to Pisa to check out the leaning tower...so cool! After a few days in tuscany we returned to Switzerland...and Nate and I decided to take a quick trip to Venice...love the euro system of traveling the train makes everything so easy! so we spent a day and half wondering the interesting canals and streets of Venice! When we returned we were so wiped out from going all over that all we did was ride our bikes around the gorgeous area we were in and chill out! Oh yeah forgot to mention that the boys raced over the weekend (after we had done 4hrs of riding in the Alps) Oscar set them up with a swiss team so they guest rode for them and Nate came in 11th( no racing wheels or anything!!) just 1 outside of the prizes! oh man..so close!The guys on the team were very excited with both of their performances ;o) 

I can't even begin to tell you how incredibly awesome it was to have this break to refresh the mind, body and soul....I feel recharged, brand new! Thank you baby for coming ....to the rescue! The truth is that I could have never done any of this if it wasn't for you and your love, encouragement and support! thank you!

Blooming...allergies!

It has been over 3 weeks since I have started to suffer from some major allergies! Had no idea I even had allergies! But after waiting (im)patiently, telling them that my nose is totally stopped up, my eyes and skin red and itchy, sneezing uncontrollably ...well it actually took a bloody nose last tuesday to actually get their attention, and me COMPLETELY FREAKED OUT!  I had already seen the team doc, and he had prescribed me antihistamine (which makes you really tired!) and nasonex, but he symptoms persisted and got worse. Along with those medications he also prescribed this blood allergy test called RAST which I had to wait until a few days later to get it done, by then it was already Friday and the results take a couple of days so yesterday I got the test results and went to see the team doctor and sure enough...VERY ALLERGIC to the grassfields here ...even olive tree blooms I am mildly allergic to.  He wasn't too surprised, specially after taking a look at me....I was red , swollen, with rashes (itchy ones) all over, legs, arms, face, chest, back.  Unfortunately until I can get on a proper treatment that involves a corticosteroid for my airways I need to wait till I do this other exam that is required by UCI since if i get tested that would come out + for doping, just like an asthmatic person w/o a TUE would get busted for using an inhaler.  Then after I get those test results which I hope I can get it done soon, then the team doc has to send it all to usacycling, then I wait, when I finally get the approval from UCI for treatment, then  the doc can start ! Isn't that bananas?? wow...that is not good, on top of feeling horrible, want to peel my skin off and feeling tired from breathing only through my mouth, I shouldn't be allowed outside in order to keep the severe allergy reaction under control.  That's not good! how the heck am I supposed to train !!!HELP!! I bet you can't tell I am freaking out! well...its a delicate thing when you have to deal with your own health in a foreign country, I don't really know the language to that extent to where I can explain myself or understand all that needs to be done in order to help myself...treatment and etc.  At least we don't race till June 9th hopefully we will be able to get everything sorted out before then!

THE NEWS!

So much has happened since the last time I posted a blog.  I didn't feel I could write anything because things were constantly changing.  People leaving, and new people coming.  So much up in the air. I didn't even know what to make of it all myself.  Sometimes it is better to give it time for things to settle a bit and to process everything.  Our first loss was Carmen she returned to the US, after we returned from Holland.  We all miss her very much, but after talking to her since she has been back home she sounded much much happier, she made the right decision for her, seems like.  Then shortly after tour de Bern, Alessia was the other one who was also out of the team.  Hole mole! The same day that Alessia  left to go home the team owner and DS had big news for us.  We had two new additions to the team. Ok...brace yourselves.... Tatiana Guderzo...she took 3rd in the Olympics last year in the road race.  Also her national teammate Monia Baccaile. WOW!!!What I was flattered, excited and nervous...nervous because I want to be able to support my teammates. I hope I can live up to it! I have raced with them in local races before, local meaning in Italy only, since their current team is not UCI one of the reasons why they both joined our team ,the other reason to why they've joined us is because they are both sponsored by Campagnolo and Pinarello and Bora wheels and the bigger teams just could not accommodate their needs, lucky for us I suppose! Too bad we can't get on the same stuff that their on ...cheeky me! 

I AM NOT ALONE!

difficulties and the infinite passion 

  The cycling season has entered the women live in all the fire, a nerve schizzandocome early live appearances. The national calendar, increasingly anorexic, now does not allow more circuits to warm in spring, just as happened after allowing the quest for brilliance and pending verification of the condition of international events of a certain weight. A losers were sprinters, and especially since the first races of the year, as a rule they were exclusive. March and April, the first two competitions, there were just so few races, all international, all selective. Faticaccia for "old" long experience, almost a "mission impossible" for girls to be baptized with the professionalism. It was a beautiful dive into the storm for many of them, with the aim to survive and escape from the storm strengthened, unless your name is Marianne Vos, able to dominate uphill, downhill, sprint and time trial, thus imposing on the road, track and cyclocross since the first impact with the big. The variety of his collection rainbow is really feeling and inspires respect. The sudden impact with the harsh reality was not sure how experienced a problem. Has no puffing or made of grimaces, indeed, meet and face after an endless winter is always nice. Ben is racing to the forefront and prestige with streets that tell the story of a heroic cycling, but also new ones, still filled with hills, walls and Pavè! Percorsi true, as thick athletic world, battle, challenge, entertainment: these are the synonyms of "we want to grow." However, if the first tests of the World Cup - which contain the highest summit of cycling - were joined by race "contour", we would have a different picture. A painting that does not urlerebbe, but there would be more balanced, less hurried, more comprehensive, multi, just as they did once, and as always happens in the men's professional cycling. And to us ... what we are missing those short tours of three - four, maximum five points, distributed between March and May, or Giro di Pordenone, Giro di Bolzano, Giro di San Marino ... all jump events as bowling, one after the other within a few years ... even as the spring meetings in France (Tour de Vendee, Tour de Epinal), or Spain (Vuelta Castilla y Leon, Tour of Mallorca), all stored and forgotten. A framework, this current, which unfortunately has very little to be admired. 
But nothing happens by chance: all these and many other races have flat rate for a heavy financial problems. We are told that the economic crisis has stifled any good way ... and the only desire, is not enough anymore. No passion, even the most innocent, pure example is capable of self campare air. Companies-say-live with the fear of failure and this fear is discouraging investment and causing a standstill of the sponsorship. 
Another similar painting to the museum hypothetical cycling women, are giving the training cycle of the peninsula. Some are in trouble and do not have enough money to pay their travel abroad, which would cost too much for a budget cut very suddenly. Others struggle to pay back the athletes, creating anxiety and nervousness in a group already solid and cemented. The sponsor is in stand by - we cover - does not get more requests, production is temporarily stopped, a momentaccio ... 

The economic crisis hits and it hurts .... we are not speaking about other things now ... But sometimes the difficulty fortified, they grow and mature. Money is short, but we must also keep the nerves strong, confident in better times. And meanwhile, try to erase with the sweat of the ride, those useless rusts of dissatisfaction, frustration and ammarezza from the period of uncertainty .... Taking the example of those who suffered and are suffering real. I am referring to the earthquake in Italy which has just cleared whole countries, erasing memories and lives. 

The people of Abruzzo has reacted with great courage, character and personality by inviting all of us, far more fortunate, to be an examination of conscience, reflecting and re-evaluating certain values. We have chosen an activity-based effort, but the physical suffering will never be comparable to the pain they cause the cracks of the soul. 
We wander for a moment that "throws" and a little fatigue, but they are miserable and problemini ridiculous to compare with the loss of life. We are here to ride and chase dreams, meanwhile someone lives (still) in a few blue tent ... waiting to start from scratch. 
The passion and the desire to cycling remain a shining beacon for the strenuous climb to the stars. The wheel of the caravan was never stops ... turns slowly, it then takes the brakes, makes a tour in vacuum but then again rotate regularly. The passion does not ever dipingerà its colors everything we encounter on the way, riding alone on the edge of the road, but is in need of reliable travel companions. That pink demands for increased visibility and professionalism, but also of clear, precise and uniform, universally accepted and respected. 

Un abbraccio 

Edita Pucinskaite (former world champ)

http://www.ciclismoinrosa.net/

I had to use google to translate it so not all the italian words had a proper english translation ...but I think you can get the whole picture.  I have been struggling with my own potential, abilities and goals since I have thrown myself in to this level of racing. Most of you know that I have not been cycling for a long time.  I did my first cat4 race in 2006. Being here makes me feel like it all over again.  So much to learn! So many amazing women that inspire and motivate me.  I can't let go, I can't give up , I won't give up!Stay tuned I have more news coming....

tour of flanders....ouch!

I can honestly say that the pave is one of the hardest things I have ever encountered on the bike.  And to top it off  I did not have such a fresh day on the bike today.  I got crashed out and was definitely not impressed when I got to the place where we were staying that night.  Apparently it is race tradition, to stay at the boarding school nearby the race.  There were a total of 10 teams staying there altogether.  Crazy eh? Just like in the showers after Paris-Roubaix...it is all real...it still happens! Let me walk you through this interesting stay in Belgium, help you make more sense of those pictures.  They might not make much sense at first but after a looooong painful day on the bike we find ways to entertain ourselves since we had no phones, computer, tv...thank goodness for i-pod! Everything here is communal.   That long hall with the colored curtains are the single bedrooms where each rider spent the night.  tiny winy bed, no pillow, and no privacy...after we settled in our bunks we started to wonder around and look for the bathroom and showers and what not.  Then we came across the "douches" ....that's when the goofing off started...you DOUCHE ...no YOU DOUCHE! You DOUCHE first! hahaha....did it sound like we were bored??or exausted maybe..or both? That was a rough night of sleep for me.  I was sore everywhere and not really looking forward to the next day at Dottignies...luckly I had bounced back and was able to finish this race only to get dropped out of the front group on the last lap due  to a rider flatting in the hardest section of the course rough road, cross wind....strung out....we could close the gap...and off they went ...its pretty amazing how hard it is to race the rollers and the flats over here...you almost look forward to the short hard climbs than the flats thats where the hurting begins...FULL THROTTLE! geeez!!! 

no rest for the weary!

so  i finally was able to fall asleep at 4 am! and at 8:30 I hear this knock on my bedroom door.  It's Rosane telling me that she needed my passport and my italian immigration documents.  Apparently Brunello had  a dream that we were at the airport and unable to travel into Belgium. So he came by the house early to grab our documents and get to the immigration right away to make sure everything was ok for the 3 of us to travel, actually the 4 of us, Rosane needed to get her documents squared away as well. Needless to say I was completely out of it this morning and had no clue what the heck was going on....but all i knew is that we might now not be traveling to Belgium and Holland.  I gave my passport to Rosane and tried to fall back asleep but at that point my brain kept me awake wondering whether or not we were going to make it to this race or not...so i got up stretched, and was in the middle of having breakfast when Rosane's cell phone rang and it didn't sound good.  She was kitted up ready to go for a ride and was told that we (all 4 of us) needed to be at the "questura" (aka immigration) at 11 am. By then it was already 9:45am.  There was nothing else to do but wait when then wait some more when we got there. Apparently we didn't have the permanent immigration papers only the temporary, and if you knew how the italians are efficient that would not come as a big surprise to you...it could take months to get the simplest things done! Aware of the situation Brunello pulled a few strings and got our permanent paperwork ;o)  so now we are good to go! Belgium+Holland watch out here we come!