Ever since I inherited a web guru (Jal), who nags me to update my posts, I have noticed two of my teammates that have been slackin on there missingsaddle blog updating. So, Pete and Dom get to updating! Pete just got hit by a car head on and cut up his hand, then proceeded to let it get infected and now can’t ride for a week. But, I am sure he can type and post pictures of his infected hand. As for Dom, well maybe he doesn’t have much exciting to post about since he does live in Canada but, he could at least keep us all updated. I mean it cost me 20 cents a minute to talk to that guy, I rather just read his blog for free.

So, today Scotty Z, my roommate here at nationals, and I were awoken by the maid coming in our room. I guess she knocked lightly and then entered. Scotty had just used the restroom and did some serious damage to our toilet. I didn’t ask how. But, she came in and he greeted her and she appologized because she didn’t think we were in. But, she only spoke Spanish and I don’t even know if it was Spanish it seemed Portuguese or something but, I don’t know Portuguese or Spanish so I am not sure. Anyways, Scott told here we were “ok” which is international for “okay”. Except he then proceeded to ask her for a plunger in English. He demonstrated this with his hands doing a plunger-like motion and saying “plunger” slowly. She went out and then came back with towels. Scotty said “oh no, that is okay we have towels we just need a plunger” and he brought her inside to see the toilet. She immediately ran out and down the hall to get a plunger. Scotty tried to flush one more time and it seemed to unclog itself so he rushes just outside the door and is screaming down the hall at 8 in the morning “it flushed!, it flushed!, its okay!, its okay!, muy bueno!, bueno!, it flushed!”. She eventually understood as did anyone else who was staying in the rooms on our floor, and it is all okay.

(This is a true story that occurred this morning, though the names have been changed for the diginity of those who were involved.)

I always say “you just made the website…punk!” But, most of the time I don’t get around to posting. Not this time. It was just learned this morning that my fellow non-Amurican teammate, Marty Gilbert, was at one point in time a figure skater.

We had a pretty uneventful last two weeks in some of the biggest crits in the US. We couldn’t get our acts together in either of the Elk Grove races, and didn’t get what we wanted out of the USPRO crit races. I think we gave everything we had but, maybe should have had different plans now that I think about it.

Elk Grove was just plain fast and very hard to get a break established. USPRO was similar but, not as easy to sit in and a much different course. I crashed out in the pre-USPRO crit on Sat. So, I was pretty sore for the next day and the legs just were not firing right. I think the biggest disappointment of the entire period was just letting Dan down. He got 4th last year basically by himself and we let him do the same thing this year. I wish I could have gotten there. I know Dan could win that race if someone could get him into that last corner first or second. All in all we road hard and didn’t get much to show for it.