The girls seem to have settled in nicely. As I mentioned earlier, my reports for these Championships will be based on info coming through from team members, so here's the first report back from Kerry.
She says the hotel accommodation - Doubletree by Hilton - is very nice. The beds are big and soft and there are very comfortable outdoor couches by the pool. The food is also apparently very good - fried chicken, cakes, pastries and pancakes. Oh yeah, and the salad, vegies and fruit are OK too. Now just what was it they went to LA for? Oh, that's right, World Cycling Championships - you could be forgiven for thinking they were on holidays!
But seriously, the bad news is that there isn't anywhere nearby to hang out or get a decent coffee. That is a major tragedy, because as anyone who knows cyclists knows, no coffee makes for very unhappy athletes!
To give us an idea of the local area, Kerry says the beaches are reminiscent of WA, including seeing the sun set over the ocean, which is a pretty rare treat for us eastern seaboarders. The piers and boardwalks are like Manly. So anyone who has been to either of those places should now have a better feel for the local terrain.
The roads are rideable, but there are a lot of traffic lights, so lots of stopping. Fortunately the beach isn't far away and the cyclists can access a dedicated bike path that goes for miles (they're in the US don't forget, so no 'kilometres'!).
On the business side the track appears to be tandem friendly, although different to other tracks the girls have ridden with tight bends and long straights. Hopefully Brandie's new aero position in the stoker seat will help with getting around the tighter bends.
Tonight's training session will allow the girls to try out the track with a disc wheel on the front of the tandem. For anyone who doesn't know cycling very well, using a disc wheel on the back doesn't alter the feel of the bike much, but putting one on the front has been likened to having a rudder there, ie it takes a lot more concentration and strength to keep the bike going in the right direction. Lucky Kerry's a rower - lots of upper body strength there!
Aside from the cycling, I think there might also be a bit of interest in the Super Bowl on Monday, after all, you couldn't be in the States and not take an interest....
Thanks again to Kerry for the update, and hopefully plenty more to come.
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