stupid time zones (again)

it's 6:39am but my computer says 3:39. I think I'm somewhere in between. I have no trouble getting up at 6:30am at home but this morning I wanted to stay in bed 'just a bit longer'. I remember back in boarding school I'd lie there are 4:45am thinking "I'll just close my eyes for a second"..... never a good idea. Actually I always seemed to make it to swimming in high school partly because if you stayed at the boarding house breakfast was cold cereal and an orange juice but if you trudged off to swimming, 5:15am in the water, the school cafeteria ladies thought the swimmers were so epic getting up that early that they make eggs, bacon and sausage for breakfast with a nougat bar for snacks.

This morning no such incentive awaited, in fact I just had Koala Crisp Envirokids cereal with lukewarm almond milk out of a stolen wholefoods container, just like at home minus the heaping spoonful of oil I always add (and a normal bowl).

We're up early because unlike most ITU World Cup/Series races the men go first tomorrow and we race at 9:10am. It's quite a spectacular course and yesterday we had a police escort for our lap tour. It was actually more like a half police/ half crazy bike dude escort as one of the very brave race directors threw his bike and body into intersections to stop traffic by virtue of daring them to run us over and all 75 of us proceeded to use him as a human shield and move along to the alternating intersections where the one police office was leap frogging to.

Safe, not safe, safe, not safe.

Drivers were remarkably patient, even after the official written warning we recieved from the race committee.

5a. drivers in the United States are NOT used to bicycles on the road. Please note you will be riding at your own risk.

Yes apparently these two wheeled fancy contraptions just made it to America. I hope it catches on.

The Mayor actually joined us for the ride, decked out in some serious cycling gear he had apparently already heard of "bikes" and looked like a local pro. The race loops past all the big monuments, they had originally planned to ride right through the Oval office, I guess the cleaning staff at the big house just didn't like that idea. With transition right on Penn Ave. the swim in the Potomac and a quick visit up to Capital Hill each lap it's a pretty amazing course and I downtown DC seems alive and busy enough that we should hopefully have some good crowds on sunday morning to complete the atmosphere.

The ITU production team sat Jan, Bevan and I down yesterday to watch and discuss the final sprint in Beijing. It was the first time the three of us had been together since Beijing, aside from hearing about Jans exploits post games and Bevans 2 day wedding in NZ it was a great experience to sit there on the couch and re live such the final 400 meters. To hear their perspectives and high five that the only thing Javier can't do is sprint!!! "Oli"

The ITU will run clips from that interview in their show but as I was seated last on the couch and got the final word in I'll say it again, it was really an honour to be part of that moment. Out on the course ride today Jan, Bevan, Javier and I rode side by side for a bit laughing and sightseeing and I couldn't help but feel very fortunate to be part of that sprint finish..... even if the big ugly German beat me.

Off to ride. Coffee first. Then were taking a group photo on the steps of the US Capital building. I might even show them my fancy two wheeled machine that the rest of the world rides on the road and calls "a bicycle".

S