May 30, 2006

I am sitting here at 6:30am. Robyn left this morning early to train outside… It is absolutely pouring rain out there and I feel bad for her. I hate riding in the pouring rain. We don’t own any rain jackets. When we first got here it poured and we got so wet and cold. I found some I could have bought but they were 200 dollars each and we don’t need rain jackets that good. I just wanted some garbage bag jackets that would fit better than a garbage bag. We gave up on the search when it warmed up here. I hope she gets back and isn’t too drenched. Maybe she ducked for cover under someone’s roof. I am sitting by the front door with a towel to dry her and her bike off when they get back here. I wanted to go for a ride too but I am too tired this early in the morning to function. I ate some creatine and yoghurt for brekky.
We got all our stuff packed up for this week. We are heading down to Umbria today via train. I packed water bottles, gel packs (race food), tools, camera, bike stuff, race jerseys, and some other food and gear. We usually just live out of our back packs on these kind of trips. So we have to fit in one week of supplies into our backpacks.
Yesterday morning I went to the bike store and Jeanfranco the store owner fixed my wheel and gave robyn a race jersey and shorts as well as two waterbottle holders and waterbottles for FREE!! It was pretty much an answer to a prayer because we were out of money and really needed those things. He is fixing my second wheel this week too.
So this is Robyn now. I just got back from my ride. I woke up this morning pretty early so I could get my ride in before we left. Well it was pretty cool outside with some sprinkles but nothing to worry about…so I thought. I set out on Lady and I should have listened to her…birds tend to know when rain is coming. But, alas, I told her to shut it and we kept flying onward. Ten minutes into the ride it starts pouring rain. I duck under a rooftop and try to wait it out. I think it is letting up so I venture out. Once again…I should have listened to the wise, old bird. So about 30 seconds into my attempt of getting home alive it starts to rain even harder. I get honked at…why, I don’t know. I am minding my own business. Maybe they wanted to let me know it is, indeed, raining, in case I was not aware. So after I get cut off by a car and realize my brakes are not working very well I duck under another rooftop. After I sit there for a few I see this fat man hauling butt on his bike by me. I then got up and Lady and I made our way home. I was drenched and freezing when I got in but Dan was waiting by the door with a towel for me and even wanted to take off his dry clothes for me! So that has been my morning. Thankfully I am home safely because people here freak out when it rains. They are scared to drive in it so they think trying to kill cyclists might calm their nerves in the rain.
Dan back now…
I am really tired and after I post this blog I am off to take another nap before I finish all our packing.