Prologue

The Cascade Classic started with a prologue time trial. Short and fast.

Getting set for the prologue. Showing up early turned out to be a very good call.

Gabe was our last rider to go off. It was a short 2.8 mile TT but very fast and very hard. I think we hung out at 35 for a while.

Time trial complete. Just getting a chance to step back and admire the scenery. 

Van loaded and ready for the first road stage. So good to see 9 bikes clean and ready to ride.

Cascade classic: the beginning

After a great week in BC we headed to Bend for the Cascade Cycling classic

Our host house is great, and features deer. (In real life the deer are not quite as blurry)

Van space was at a premium, Jon is currently sitting under his TT bike.

But great scenery

And some Toyota on Toyota action

A mechanic's job sometimes involves strange tasks. In this case: fixing the fridge shelf at our host house. Gorilla tape is great.

And then wash the van. The giant, giant, van.

Birthday on the road

This was my first birthday, I suspect there may be more, that I spent out of town with the team. However the day still turned out well: bike ride to the Wired Monk in Crescent Beach for coffee, little action at the Tour of White Rock crit, and then dinner and pie with the guys back at our host house. Not a bad day at all.

Small joys of the road

As our BC squad dwindles leading into Tour of White Rock this weekend I got some time to just relax and enjoy the little things in life.

While the guys were on their ride I took a joyride down to the waterfront in White Rock.

Complete with pier.

And in case you didn't believe I knew where I was, the proof is in the...arch.

Nighttime racing means daytime cleaning. Got to make sure those wheels sparkle.

Also a good chance to even out all of the awkward tan lines I am accumulating.

So I guess there has to be at least one bike racing picture. The tiny blurry guys are the lead group heading towards the finish line about midway through the Giro di Burnaby. There must be a lot of Italian immigrants in Burnaby, because while it was confusing to have a Giro in Canada, I did hear a lot of Italian.

Our host mom this week had made sure that we have plenty of food, brownies included.

Mr. Jackson courtesy of Mr. Chis Wingfield, who did not seem to understand the new profanity rule instituted this trip.

The return of the Gastown Crit

A small piece of background: this is the biggest race in Canada and had not happened since 2008 but was back for 2012. I had heard good things: this was a bit wild.

Apparently closing down a number of streets in downtown Vancouver on a Wednesday leads to some congestion. Good thing we arrived early.

Unloading bikes in front of the Fairmont Hotel on the waterfront. The guys got to enjoy 5 star accomidations after the 5 star crit Wednesday night.

The crowd behind the pit. I had to part the crowd and jump the fence just to get set up. The guys from Vancouver Bike Gallery were a huge help in making that happen.

The field lining up at the start. Dan is in the foreground saying hi to his host dad from Delta.

Corner 4, headed into the finish. So many people!

One more crowd shot as they lined the finishing straight for the final sprint. Apparently 35,000 people were on hand to watch.

Rest Day!!

What a great concept. Washed some cars, washed some bikes, hung out in the backyard of our new host house.

Tour of Delta: Day 3

First and most importantly:

Steve Fisher (center) getting congratulated by his teammates after winning the stage and winning the Tour de Delta!!! Great team effort on the final stage.

Two shots of the feed zone. Since there was no caravan to hang out in we stood in the sun and handed out bottles to the guys.

Water turns to coke for the final feed.

And just for fun: cat under giant Toyota van. Looking at this makes me wonder how you decide a cat is lost. I could have captured this animal and put this picture on a flyer. Hope he got home okay.