Well it is over.  The Tour of Ga was a very tough week of racing.  The American peloton has really brought it up a few notches.  All the stages were very fast and all the teams made big impacts on the week.

I will say that I won’t miss racing up Brasstown bald…a more acurate description for me is riding up or even surviving up the climb.  It is a pain in the ass at the end of a tough week.

We got a little rain in the final stage yesterday which made the downtaown Atlanta circuit a little slick.  There was also some glass on the roads which causued 45 flats among all the teams.  I alone spent 3 laps, some 30 miles, in the cars trying to get my guys back into the field.  After Jackson flatted for the 3rd time I got him back and blew to bits.  As I sit in the airport waiting for my flight home this morning I have a nice head cold working which explains my lack of energy over the last two days of the Tour.

I would give BMC a B+ for the week.  We could never get a guy in the significant breaks and we did not win any stages.  We did have two guys, Nydam and Lill, up on GC, but I know we can do better.  Yesterday, we had Lill in the break that went to the final lap, but he flatted out.  He said he felt good so who knows what would have happend, but the team gets a B+ and I give myself a c+ for the week.  I just could not find my way into the breaks this week and I need to do and lead better.

I will say that I picked the winner of Brastown.  I know it is hard to believe, but I picked the Belirussian the night before in our team meeting so I have witnesses.  I guess I know my stuff when it comes to that.

I would like to say thanks to the State of Georgia, the volunteers of the race, Medalist Sports, the other teams and their riders, the host cities (both new and old), the Gov of Ga, my team staff and management and my friends and teammates in the peloton for making it a good week for me.

One other situation I want to address that pertains to this Blog.  What I write here is how I see things.  I have never and will never claim that it is the unaquivical truth.  The thoughts here are my opinons or my observations and should be taken as such.  I enjoy telling stories and most people seem to enjoy hearing them so I do my best.  I am a person who says directly what I think and I will never pull punches.  I expect others to do the same, but  at the end of the day, I will 100% stand by what I write and accept any consequences that come from my entries.  I think the American peloton is full of overly sesative and defensive individuals.  Those guys that are my friends, and those who know me, know what I stand for so I never need to explain anything to them.  Those guys that think I am a jerk or an A-hole most likely don’t know me and never will.  I am sure my wife would tell people I don’t care what people think about me.  I got to where I am by hard work and sacrifice.   My friend’s and teammates, both past and present, know what kind of individual I am and what I stand for in life.  I hold myself to the highest standard and expect everyone else to do the same.  There are a lot of times where cycling is a job and I treat it that way.  Sometimes, cycling is fun and I really try in enjoy those times most of all, but I get paid to ride my bike and I feel a heavy burden to fullfill my contractual responsibilities. There are some many days that this sport is far from fun, but I choose to be here and I must always remember that fact.  I really feel all pros must look at it this way. 

At then then end of the day, I love to get a reaction so expect to keep reading some fun things here.

Finally, good luck to my teammates racing in Switzerland this week.  They have a major undertaking at hand, and I am sure they will show how good they really are.

So thanks for reading.

Havoc