Aussie Open!

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So I know that by now, anyone who has been reading my blog for any amount of time – whether that be one blog, or as a more dedicated reader than I have been as a writer – is concerned about me. I know what you’re thinking, “Gosh, with all that work, how does JV ever have time for any fun?!?” Never fear, I manage to make some time for myself once in a while. We finished up a trip on Monday, and after a long week, even though it wasn’t a super tough trip, I’m always exhausted at the end of them, so I slept for the better part of Monday. Tuesday was my birthday here in Australia, but since I’d slept away Monday, we had a good bit of work to do. We finished up all of our trip paperwork, moved some bikes and equipment around, and wrapped up the rest of our post trip tasks. Some way to spend my birthday, eh? Nothing was made of my birthday here really. I didn’t tell anyone about it, but I did decide that I wanted to do a little something. Prior to coming to Australia I realized that the Australian Open was going on while I was here. I was excited at the opportunity to go to a Grand Slam tennis tournament, but after looking at our schedule, it didn’t look like it was going to be possible to go. Monday morning I got the idea in my head that maybe it would be possible to catch a day of it. Jared was pretty amped about taking a little vacation after the Tour Down Under to go to a couple days before going to the Astana training camp in California. Bec was going to take a day to see the tennis before returning to her regular job in Melbourne. I was jealous. I wanted in. So I decided I wanted to go. Texts started flying, emails bouncing back and forth, pretty soon I had secured a round trip plane ticket to Melbourne, Bec used some contacts and scored me an incredible seat at center court, I booked a plane ticket, and at 4:30 in the morning on Wednesday I was on my way to Melbourne.

I basically claimed a mulligan on my birthday here and celebrated my birthday the next day. It worked out brilliantly! With the 17 hour time difference to Minnesota, almost all of my birthday wishes came in on the 28^th here, so I spent all of that day watching some pretty awesome tennis, enjoying the atmosphere of a Grand Slam quarterfinal, and watching birthday wishes roll into my phone. After a solid day of watching tennis, I met up with Bec, we spent some time watching tennis on the lawn in front of the arena before heading out to see Melbourne. Bec knew of a couple good places to see. Melbourne really embraces the Australian Open while it is going on. There is a huge plaza in the center of the city where they set up a huge tv screen and people come out by the hundreds to watch the tennis. We managed to secure a table outside of a great Japanese restaurant at the edge of the plaza and have a great meal while watching some more great tennis. After dinner she continued playing tour guide and we walked along the river. On a beautiful summer night there were tons of people out and there was a great vibe coursing through the city. I have realized that I am very judgmental of cities. I have been in a lot of them throughout the world. I’ve loved some, I’ve hated some. In general I’m not a big fan of big cities, but I’ve realized that the make or break for me for most cities is the “green space” and public spaces in general. Melbourne is great for public spaces. There is a river that cuts through the city, flanked by parks on both sides, loads of public art – gigantic sculptures of all types, incredible architecture that becomes a part of the public space, and all in all exceptionally well designed public space, the kind that encourages people to actually go out and use it. Granted I’ve only spent about 24 hours in the city, but initial impressions of Melbourne are overwhelmingly positive. Eventually I made my way back to the hotel to get some sleep before boarding a plane the next morning for Adelaide and back to work.

Even though it was a very short trip, it was a great trip. I feel refreshed, renewed, and ready to crank up a new trip starting tomorrow (Sunday)!

Time flies!

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The Tour Down Under came and went, and Trek Travel had quite the week!

Stage 2 started in the town of Hahndorf and headed north for a loop before swinging back down to Stirling for three circuits of 20 km each. We started riding from city centre of Adelaide - a very cycling friendly city. We started at our hotel in the central business district and rode all the way out of town, able to stick almost entirely to streets with dedicated bike lanes! We rode up the Crafers Bikeway. It’s about a 10 km climb from Adelaide to Crafers, almost all of which is an off-street bike path or bike lane separated from traffic by a concrete barrier. It’s great to do a climb of that length without ever worrying about a car coming from a blind curve behind you and buzzing a little too close! Cars weren’t much of a concern that morning, though, most cars took the expressway that parallels the little road we were on, but there were plenty of cyclists out! I even ran into a guy in a Nature Valley/Flat City/Penn Cycle kit! He raced for the team while he lived in Minneapolis for a couple years working at Honeywell. What a small world! We got to the top of the hill in Crafers in time to ride one lap of the 20km circuit through the Adelaide Hills wine region that the pros would do a couple hours later. After lunch, we watched the pros come into town for their feed (they were hungry by then, too!) and set out for three laps! The excitement ramped up; even Lance wanted in on the action as he led the charge of a small breakaway group that tried to get away during the second lap! Matt, our driver, found the perfect parking spot about a half kilometer from the finish to park the bus and trailer as the perfect viewing platform! After the stage finished, some of the group called it a day and rode back to the hotel in the bus while some hopped back on the bikes for an exhilarating descent back into Adelaide! That evening we were treated to a fantastic buffet dinner in the Tour Village! Sponsors of the race and teams had booths set up in the Village and everyone had a chance to grill them on their product or drool over the shiny new bits and pieces on display while enjoying a cocktail hour hosted by the Tour Down Under Club Tour. Following the cocktail hour we had a fantastic buffet dinner surrounded by the Team Mechanics’ kiosks. Dinner entertainment included interviews with up and coming Australian rider for Team UniSA Jack Bobridge (and what a show he put on this week!). Recently retired Shane Kelly OAM was on hand to talk about his career and the voices of cycling – Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin – took their turns at the microphone telling the stories of the Tour de France that you don’t hear on TV!

Thursday morning we set out early from the hotel to get a jump on the pros as they worked their way south from Unley to Victor Harbor. The pros have the advantage of road closures for the race, so while the race course swung west on some busier roads, we stayed east and rode some beautiful and challenging hills before rejoining the tour route about 30km south of Adelaide. As the day went on the wind kicked up, and it was “blowing a gale” as they say around here. We reached the first King of the Mountain of the stage and were happy to find a bit of a tail wind to help us up, by then we had definitely earned the help! While the pros get the help of closed roads, no one shuts down the wind for them, and they battled brutal winds all day. Lance picked a great day to get out in the break, as there was carnage in the peloton. He showed great form as the break stayed away for a long time, and the break proved to be the safest place to be that day! We watched the race from the top of Wickhams Hill and excitedly counted the minutes from the time Lance passed until the peloton came by! After the KOM most of the group hopped in the bus to Meadows for lunch. Three of us battled the wind a little longer to ride our bikes to Meadows, and after lunch one guest decided to ride all the way back to Adelaide!

The Tour de France has the Etape du Tour, the Tour Down Under has the Mutual Community Challenge Tour. Some 7100 riders signed up to wake up way before the sun and ride all or some of Stage 4. Trek Travel wouldn’t miss out on that fun for the world! Some of us rode the entire 155km, with other options being 97km and 32km. I think if you add up all of my road miles for all of the Januarys in my life (excepting 2009) it wouldn’t add up to the 155km I rode that day! It was an awesome course though – a course that lent itself to getting stronger as the day went on, and with a healthy tailwind for the last three kilometers, everyone had a little left for the kick and sprint across the finish line! The toughest part of the day was waking up before coffee was available! Fortunately not too far into the ride I was able to find an open coffee shop to stop at for a Long Black. It certainly was a popular place that morning!

Regardless of the distance they chose, everyone had a great day on the road! After watching another exciting sprint finish in Angaston, we got in the bus and drove back to Adelaide, waving to Robbie McEwen as we passed him in his team car, and got into Adelaide for a great dinner at Ristaurante Auge. If you’re ever in Adelaide and looking for a good meal, I’d highly recommend it!

Keeping with its spectator friendly theme, the Tour Down Under did two sets of circuits on Saturday, passing one stretch of road through Willunga five times! We got out early to ride the 40km flat circuit past the beautiful beach start in Snapper Point and through the McLaren Vale wine region. I’ll make some enemies saying this, but I think this might be the best wine region in the world! Then it was up Willunga Hill to the KOM and around a 20km loop with one of the most beautiful (and fastest) descents I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to ride it – still recovering from my separated shoulder just before I came out, my shoulder was pretty sore from the 155km the day before, so I passed on the climb and stayed in Willunga to watch the pros fly by! From the VIP/Sponsors viewing platform at the finish line, we watched Allan Davis sprint to his third stage victory of the tour, virtually guaranteeing if his first overall Tour Down Under victory in eleven tries! That evening everyone put on their finest threads and Trek Travel rolled red carpet style at the Tour Down Under Legends Dinner! I’ve never seen a place setting with four forks and four knives before! We had an incredible dinner and watched a parade of some of the biggest names in cycling walked to the platform to be interviewed. A lot of time was devoted to Lance Armstrong and his comeback. I’ve always been a big fan of Lance, and I don’t know if it’s just old age, but I think he’s a lot more open and approachable in his comeback. He certainly stole the show, and the highlight of the night was when Johan Bruyneel joined Lance and Phil Liggett on stage to talk about the relationship that he and Lance had, as well as highlights of both of their careers. Eventually Lance dragged George Hincapie to the stage as well – to see those four sharing a stage was a moment I’ll never forget.

After a week of some challenging riding through the hills, we took an easier morning and did a local favorite Sunday morning ride. Our driver, Matt is a cyclist in his non-work life and lives in the area; since we didn’t need him to drive for us that day, he joined us to lead a group ride out to Glenelg Beach, where we stopped for a coffee break and some final souvenir shopping.

Sunday afternoon we gathered back in the Club Tour area to watch 18 circuits through Adelaide. It was the perfect end to a great week of racing, riding, and viewing. Lance challenged the field with a little attack on the second to the last lap, not an attempt to win, but a chance to prove that he still has it. Davis finished safely and pulled on the final Ochre Winner’s Jersey. Sunday evening we went out for a final round of drinks to toast a great week, and a fun dinner in a lively restaurant, joining the city in celebrating the finish of a great Tour Down Under and the eve of Australia Day.

This was the fifth race I’ve guided at with Trek Travel. Having started with the Tour de France in 2005, returning to Europe for the Giro d’Italia and Tour again in 2006, and last year’s Tour of California and Tour de Georgia, I was excited to see what the Tour Down Under had to offer. My final impressions of the race were overwhelmingly positive. It was incredibly well organized, accessibility to the teams and village was exceptional, and it was easily the most spectator friendly race I’ve ever attended. The official final spectator count was 700,000, but some estimates have put it over 1 million. Lance loved the raced and has promised to return next year, and I’ll fight for the chance to be back, too!

It's summer here!

G’day!

It’s been a long time since I’ve updated this little corner of the internet, but it’s been a long time since I’ve done something this exciting!

Just to catch you up. I finished up last season with a couple trips out in Bryce and Zion, followed by another fantastic season in Vermont. There were truly the best colors I’ve seen in my four years out there. It’s safe to say the highlight of my Vermont season was the Trek dealer trip, with several dealers that I’ve known for years, including Pat, from Penn Cycle. It was a special trip for me, and a great way to end the guiding season. After that I ventured west for the third annual Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge. It was another successful event, with one of the best teams Trek Travel could possibly have put together to execute it. After that, it was a very welcome flight back to the Upper Midwest.

 

Fast forward three months. I’m in AUSTRALIA! The Tour Down Under kicked off on Sunday with the Down Under Classic and Trek Travel is here! After guiding at the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Tour of California, and Tour de Georgia, it’s great to be here for Trek Travel’s first foray into Australia for the Tour Down Under. South Australia is buzzing with Lance-mania. I’m a huge fan of Lance and have an incredible respect for everything he’s done, on and off the bike, but I’ve never gotten that caught up in the craziness that seems to follow him around. That said, it’s hard not to get caught up in it here. I was there at the end of July 2005 when Lance rode into retirement down the Champs as Tour de France champion, and it was pretty special to see him announced with Team Astana at the Tour Down Under!

 

Trek Travel’s trip started off with quick introductions on Sunday before kicking off with a bang! Straight to the team introduction in Rymill Park before heading into a VIP viewing area at the start/finish line of the race. The teams ripped off 30 laps in just over an hour and we were there for it all. What a way to start a trip, watching the pros pass 30 times finishing with an exciting win by local boy Robbie McEwan!

 

There was no slowing down on Day 2! After a morning bike fit, we headed out into the Adelaide Hills, through the vineyards up to Mount Lofty, one of the highest points in South Australia. It was a crystal clear day and we had incredible views into downtown Adelaide and out to Glenelg and Henley Beaches. It was a beautiful day, although a little on the warm side (topping out near 100 degrees Fahrenheit). After a great warm-up ride, the highlights continued. There are a number of reasons that I love working for Trek Travel. First is the bikes we get to ride. It’s hard to complain when you’re riding the same frame that Team Astana rides. The second is our race trips. Because of the relationship that Trek has with Team Astana as the bike sponsor, Trek Travel gets a few fringe benefits. One of the greatest is our team access trips. Yesterday was a rest day between the Down Under Classic and the kickoff of the Tour Down Under. We had the opportunity to go to the Hilton Adelaide, where all the teams are staying for the duration of the Tour, to meet with team representatives from Team Astana. Our contact there is Jared Melzer. This guy can get anything done for us. He’s a great guy to know, and a great guy to call a friend. After a brief introduction to the Tour Down Under, he brought out Ben Coates. Ben is the Trek liaison to Team Astana (and Lance Armstrong). Ben brought out Lance’s bike for the TDU. This bike is truly special. I’ve seen a lot of cool bikes in my day, and this one made me stop and say wow. 

After a photo session with the bike, Ben took some time to talk about the bike, about what the team is riding, and answered every question thrown his way. I think the most interesting thing he said was that Lance auctioned off the bike that he rode in the 2005 Tour de France for the LAF, but would never sell this bike. It means that much to him, and I can see why! After Ben, Jared brought out a couple riders from the team, Jose Luis “Chechu” Rubiera of Spain and Michael Schaar from Switzerland.  Rubiera is one of my all time favorite riders. He’s incredibly genuine and personable. This is the fourth race I’ve guided that he’s been a part of the Trek Travel access package (starting with Discovery at the Giro in 2005). Last year he told us that it would be his last year of racing – that he was looking forward to going home to Spain to spend time with his family. He has, however, spent years riding on various teams with Lance, and when Lance announced his return, Chechu committed to one more year riding with Astana. He and I have one thing in common; we both think that the Giro d’Italia is the most beautiful race in the world. Michael was also part of the Trek Travel access program last year at the Tour de Georgia. He’s probably the only guy in the pro peloton taller than me. Trek builds him a custom seat cap so he can ride a smaller bike, and I want one! The highlight of the night, however, was when the man himself Johan Bruyneel came out to say hello. This was my first time meeting him, and was left with the impression of a very personable guy, full of smiles, gracious with autographs and photo ops. Trek Travel provided copies of his recent book for each of our guests that he signed for everyone. Everyone left the evening with stars in their eyes.

 

Today we woke up and headed north to One Tree Hill, where Trek Travel guests got their first taste of the Tour Down Under race course. Just 10km into the ride we tackled the first King of the Mountain of the Tour Down Under. After a 45km ride some rode back into One Tree Hill to watch the first sprint points of the race, and others took another crack at the KOM to watch the peloton crest the climb! We reconvened in One Tree Hill to watch the race pass again two hours later. It was Lance Armstrong’s first day back into a UCI race, and it was great to watch him sitting comfortably and safely at the front of the peloton. Time will tell what his season will bring, but it’s fun to see him back on the road, and bring Trek Travel guests along for the ride. Some of our guests have been to pro races before, but some haven’t, and seeing the looks on guests’ faces the first time the pro peloton flies by, with a sound that is better than any other and a rush of wind and color. There’s nothing like it, and I love watching people see it for the first time because it reminds me of the first time I saw it. Have I mentioned there’s nothing like it? There’s nothing like it.

 

It’s hard to believe we’re only three days into the trip. With five more days of incredible riding planned and exciting racing coming down the pipe, Trek Travel’s Tour Down Under trip has the fixings to be one of the best trips I’ve ever guided! More to come as the week progresses!