Sono Arrivato
If you made it all the way to the end of the last post, you would of course realize that I have arrived (or sono arrivato for those of you practicing your Italian) to camp here on the island of Sardinia for 2012 training camp 2.0. Furthermore you would recognize that it was a very HAPPY EVENT.I don't want to take you through a standard day, because that would be boring. Rather I'll highlight the relatively few photos I've managed to take with some corresponding words and then it'll be as though you're right here alongside me at the hotel Geovillage outside of Olbia, Sardinia.Like most people of the modern age, the day begins with breakfast. While 8am is the official start to our breaking of the fast, I've discovered that if you show up around 7:45, you don't have to mind the rush of 29 riders and about 15 staff all asking the sole waitress for a cup of coffee. Mind you, she is the sole waitress and sole barista. And to clarify to the un-Italians out there, she's not merely pouring a cup of coffee for everyone requesting a cuppa joe. Nope, she's grinding, tamping, and pulling single shots of espresso in addition to steaming and frothing milk for the frequent cappuccino requests. One. At. A. Time. I won't go as far as calling it "inefficient" - I'll just stick with calling it "incredibly not efficient."So 7:45 ticks by and I'm down at the morning breakfast table with three or four of my wise cronies who also appreciate a fifteen minute stint of caffeinated morning tranquility before the majority of the team descends on the breakfast buffet. Also whereas most of the team eats plain bread, prosciutto, cheese, eggs, and buttery delicious croissants, I'm pleased to announce that they have muesli, which with a dash of creativity, a banana, water, honey, and an nary used microwave I can produce a tasty bowl of oatmeal.
That three ounce cup of coffee to the right is actually a watered down Americano. Tasty but petite. Seven of those in the morning and I'm ready to kickstart my day.A round of bicycle practice ensues, which usually runs in the order of three to five hours in length. 3:52 is about the best estimate for an average time on the bike, if you're asking for specifics. The sun has been almost entirely cooperative this week which certainly makes us happy. While not terribly warm here in mid-December, simply staying dry makes all the difference in the world.
Yesterday provided some excitement in the form of un-Groundhog day variety from the other days. Namely, we did some promotional video photoshooting for Cannondale and for the team presentation in January. It's hard to believe, but backtrack three years and I was getting my eyebrows plucked and having makeup applied for a similar photoshoot for a previous team. Thankfully these days my rugged good looks don't require any tweezer-plucking nor mascara so I get to do these shoots au naturel.No, Mauro was not actually naked in this photo. Rather I don't want to yet reveal the shocking beauty of the 2012 team kit.
Also please notice the abundance of people in the rest of the shot. There is no shortage of input and chaotic brainstorming when it comes to how to properly do a photoshoot. In progressively louder voices and with more and more rapidly flapping hand gestures, believe it or not everyone thinks they're a professional photography choreographer. It's very entertaining.Ciao.