Sorry to all you readers out there for not updating the blog sooner. But today is the day....

My first weekend of racing was a little bit crazy. The race was called Costa Etrusca a little over 170 women started. I look to my left and there is Nichole Cook for those who do not know who she is she won the Olympic Road Race, and she is fast. I am talking with Kristin Armstrong who also won the time trial in the Olympics and the list of fast women goes on. Basically all the best riders in the world are at this race. We are only the American team. We are waiting for the officials to stop yelling Italian at us so we can have our neutral start. So they call it a neutral start, but it’s a lie neutral does not exist. You start sprinting doing over 55K from the gun and people are just shelling off the back, the wind is blowing and people are dying. Sprint, sprint, sprint, crash, slam on the brakes jump over a group of 15 women that are down and sprint again. You hear the bombs going off in people's legs, including mine. I make it the first 45K in this race and finally got blown off. The race is blown apart. From what I hear it did not let up. We (the USA National team) were told we are not allowed to quit a race, so I did not quit. I looked for that dam finish line until dark. Thank God Kristin Armstrong found me in a random city. I was determined not to get dropped again. My next race went a little better I finished top 50 with the main chase group there was a small group of 15 up the road and about 40 left. I was so happy. It was seriously the hardest race I have ever done in my entire life. I started on the front, well I had to hurdle a few girls, run a couple in the ditch and then find Kristin Armstrong's wheel and go to the front. As the Cervelo team is ripping people’s legs off and I am sitting in the top 5 or so girls and over 170 women are behind me I decided to take a glance to see how fast we were going, 75 km which for us Americans that is about 45MPH. I have never been so happy in my entire life. But of course I am thinking of nothing but racing. Being up on the front (not pulling of course because I would have probably caused a wreck) is probably one of the most addicting/coolest feelings I have ever had in my entire life. Then first climb. Emma Pooley who rides for Cervelo starts the first major attack or what I call the massacre really begins. People are dying, babies are crying and so much more. A group goes up the road. Now the race has begun. All I can say is I am just so happy I finished. That is a huge race to finish.

On to the week....We had a big cook out with the German National Team and Team Columbia Highroad. It was so fun. I love the two teams. We threw down. Germans can really drink. They mix everything with beer, orange juice, lemonade, anything. We played pool and I learned some very useful German words like "Chill Ma Barbie" and I taught them very useful words.  Like "That's Pimp". I know maybe not the most useful but at the moment it was pretty important. We played pool and it was the first party I have been too where most of the people did not speak a lot of English and the girl to guy ratio was 4 to 1. I was told a lot, you crazy American girl and talk fast. Slow down. It was great. We talked in our race on Sunday, and most of all helped each other out.

We have gotten lost pretty much every day that we have ridden, but it makes for a good day. We are seeing parts of Italy that normal people would not necessarily see. We have ridden up into the Alps or headed to the Sea, ready for espresso where ever we may end up. But at the end of the day we will make it home.

So yesterday (Sunday, March 29) was the first world cup race. 138 women started and 53 finished. I was one of the one's who did not finish. It was my first race that I have started in a down pour and ended in a down pour. We went through flooded roads and it was 8C outside in translation 46F. I had a great start up in the front 30, for the so called "neutral start" and then the attacks started and did not stop. I made it to 90K out of 120K. I really wanted to finish. My small chase group was the last group pulled so IF I would have finished I would have gotten in the top 65ish. But I did not finish which makes me want it even more. The officials pull you if you are 2 minutes off the lead group. Women are being pulled left and right. I am happy that I was not the first pulled, but not stoked to not make it to the end.

Tour of Flanders is next weekend; we fly up to Belgium this coming Friday. We will drive the course and see what real cobles are made of. No more of these small Italian cobles; but real European cobles nasty bone shaking cobles. After Flanders we head over to Holland, and we are doing a few races in between.

Right now my neighbor is Kristin Armstrong, she is a huge inspiration and a huge help. I love finding her in a race and trying to suck her wheel.  We had dinner together and I am just picking her brain and trying to take in as much as possible. So for those of you who have any questions that might help you or me please feel free to ask I would love to ask her.

Well my friends I am so sorry for the major delay in writing this blog, I will try to be better and get an immediate post after Flanders, but from what I have also learned about Europe that a lot of hotels do not have wireless so if I am a little late that is the reason why.

Wish me luck, I need all the help I can get.

Till the next blog…

So I have learned a few things about Italy.  Everything is domani (tomorrow) the air lines lost my bike and that is what they told me for a week and I just got it. They love their espresso drinks, wine is a must at all meals, everyone rides in every attire and there is no recovery.  From the gun these people just take off hard, getting theirs wattage and heart rates up and they keep at that pace for hours. Until the climb then it’s time to go up up up and not slow at all.  After hammering for over two hours it’s time to stop for espresso and you have to be quick because we're training; off again weaving through traffic. For a three or so hour ride you take one water bottle, eat little to nothing and go hard until you finish.  Oh yes helmets are not necessary but I love mine.  Spinning your legs out what is that? When you get into the cities the cyclist have dominance over the road or so we think, we weave in and out of traffic passing on the left and right, going between cars and running lights and stop signs. I will probably get hit but as long as I am constantly out sprinting someone I am fine. I love it. 

My first major adventure that I have taken part in was one of the girls and I decided we were going to go watch the KOM of stage 1 of the Tirreno-Adriatico race.  Hincapi and Cavendish are on the front, there are people lined up the climb, helicopters above and support cars for days before and after the peloton. Very impressive, each team has two cars with lots of wheels and bikes on top. I pretty much have not stopped smiling and most of all learning.  Our ride back was another story, we got lost. We were only 10 minutes away from the house and managed to go completely away from it, but now we know Lucca pretty well now. 

So now it’s late and we have just received our official schedule, it’s pretty packed but I am really looking forward doing all of these races. We have three world cup races to do and the others are pretty much going to hurt as bad same women just not part of the world cup series.

I am off to bed, I have intervals to do tomorrow and they are having a boot sale in down town Lucca so we’re headed down there after an early morning ride for espresso and shopping (I know really girly and not pro but sometimes you need to step out of the norm, it’s good for your head), I need to tour the cities some more before my life is confined to racing and flying all over Europe.

Ciao,
Ally

Oh and I forgot to mention Mario Cipollini is our neighbor, so when we do motor pacing workouts we just go out for a ride with him. Pray that I can hold his wheel please.