Trial by Fire

So then Friday and Saturday I continued my DS training. Friday's stage into Jefferson City was another hot and muggy one. I went with Gianni to the feed zone, passed a musette to Roman and then hopped into Stefano's car while he took mine and went to the break, where Mugerli was in the mix. More bottles passed, and a rear wheel change. Guarnieri pulled over while I was in the passing lane and I ended up pulling over in front of him, to Gianfranco's dismay - POW! - his door hit Guarnieri's handlebar! Lesson learned - even when the rider stops quick, always pull in behind him even if you have to just stop in the road.

The run-in to Jeff City was a quick one. Nibali played out an attack but got quickly pulled back. Two Rabobank youngsters took 1st and 2nd. The winner is the son of Jean Paul Van Poppel. Stefano raced with him and said he went like a train.

For Saturday, we expected horrible rain from Ike, but it never showed up. I drove car 2 from the start and the break went halfway again. Mugerli was up front in a 12 man break, so again, we swapped cars. This time, Guarnieri was involved in a big crash on the left side of the road. The street was real wide and everyone pulled over to the left, so I followed suit. Guarnieri eventually went to the right side of the road and I was a bit blocked in. I was able to exit and get to Gianfranco after a wheel change, but another lesson learned... ALWAYS service on the right side of the road. After that, we serviced the bike and helped him back to the group... let's see if I get a fine. Read between the lines on that one!

On the run-in to the finish into St. Charles, the skied darkened and threatened the rain which still didn't come. I got a bit nervous watching from about ten cars back, hoping for a Chicchi sprint or a Nibali breakaway. My heart was pounding and I think I found a new best way to watch a race... in the caravan driving a support car! Finally, Cavendish took his third stage, and we have to wait until Sunday's circuit for our first.

DS for a day... or two

So the Tour of Missouri keeps rolling along. Wednesday's TT in Branson went well... Nibali in sixth, fifth overall. Roman not too far behind.

I got to drive the follow car for Chicchi. The course was great, with big carved out canyons, open roads in the wind, and big rolling hills. Of course, I did my usual 'avoid the deviation and drive through the finish' that I've become famous for. Hey - they didn't fine us and I didn't tear down the banners, so it couldn't be that drastic!

On Thursday, Stefano wanted me to drive the second team car (since we're short on people). When the break happened, we swapped cars. He went with the break and I took over in the peloton! Let's say it's nervous and very tight squeezing between the moto and the cars on your right. We fed and passed bottles a few times. Nibali, having missed the break, got his ear twisted quite a bit, but did come back and load up on water for the rest of the guys. Roman took over the white jersey in the end! Today we'll try for another stage, possibly with Roman - the finish is a killer!

Meantime, James our mechanic crashed in the parking lot and destroyed his knee!

Tour of Missouri

So I'm here with the boys in the midwest, fulfilling whatever duties I can. So far, I've translated interviews, translated any and all questions they may have, passing my first musette, helping the mechanics, written race reports, etc.

Sunday, my parents came down from Iowa. I think they enjoyed seeing their first big bike race. We had a reception at Cycle City, a local retailer. The crowd was great and had a good time. I finally met Jackal and Blue... great guys. Funny thing about the internet. You can 'get to know' someone by their writing, and then stumble into them and feel like old friends.

Monday we had the worst storm ever... 4 o'clock in the morning while doing emails, the sky opened up with a loud crash. It was like someone shooting a shotgun in the next room over! This continued until the power shut down for most of the city! It was quite a scene having all the teams eating breakfast by candlelight in the Hyatt!

Nephew Joey skipped work Monday afternoon to come down to the finish at KC's Plaza. The crowd was huge and the rain held out. Chicchi was third with Cavendish winning.

Tuesday was pretty much more of the same - Chicchi again third in Springfield. 

I met Cub and the Great Chiweenie... cute little dog rescued by loving owners who take him along on the bike. I know Mrs. Masini would like to do the same, but I can already tell, our guys would be more than a handful than this little guy.

Today is the TT. Nibali should do pretty well. Roman says his legs aren't great, but he has the power and will do well nonetheless.

I've Been Tagged... here you go.

So Carl tagged me a few days ago... here goes.

What was I doing ten years ago? 

Just getting ready to move from Des Moines to Fort Dodge, IA. Just a little relocation so Mrs. Masini could start a great teaching job. I was driving about 60,000 miles a year as a sales rep for the big Cdale (did that for 8 years). I was also riding a YZ125 a little bit. Listening to: Limbaugh, Common Man, Mischke and Jim Rome on the radio (gotta stay awake somehow when driving all night through North Dakota). Also listening to: Guster, Josh Rouse, the Cure, Joy Division, New Order (none of that has really changed). I was not racing on the road or CX, but more mtb. Eventually did well on a single speed hardtail at the local race on a course I knew by heart.

What are five non-work things on my to-do list today?
1. Walk the dogs
2. Backup my old radio shows (Mischke, Common Man, Ron & Fez, Opie & Anthony)
3. Pick up Mrs. Masini from Zurich Airport
4. Watch Liquigas defend their Vuelta lead on Eurosport
5. Watch a replay of the Buccaneers' final preseason game

Snacks I enjoy?
Doritos

Things I would do if I were a billionaire. 

Help groups giving relief in Africa and Asia. 

Small houses in Iowa, Connecticut and Italy. 

Maserati for myself, Jag convertible for the Mrs. 

A little to everyone in the family. 

Bank the rest for the upcoming economic crisis. 

Places I have lived:
Charlotte NC, Ruland SD, Spencer IA, Laurens IA, Ames IA, Florence Italy, Des Moines IA, Ft Dodge IA, New Milford CT, Basel Switz. - In that order!

Jobs I have had:
Gas station grunt, construction, track and tennis court grunt, sales rep, webmaster, sports marketer.

Hollywood and DanGerous - tag, you're it.

The Oldenzaal Museum

Nick told me that he would like to redo the museum at the Holland office so I dug out the Di Luca Giro-winning bike to add to the collection. While the door to the museum was locked, I did get a chance to snap a few of my favorites that are scattered throughout the office. So now I present: the Cipo Black Lightning, Savoldelli's Angel, the white DDL, and various jerseys... enjoy.

Been Busy - Olympic Bikes

This is the kind of stuff I have to call 'work'. How cool is this bike? Each C/V member (as well as LG) got a graphic based on their national flag.

This bike is now showing up on various boards, after an 'unofficial' photo or two got out prematurely. Interesting bits that aren't yet officially known... there are fewer needle bearings in this fork and the internals have been minimized for weight. Notice the fork boot? Or should I say inner tube? Special super secret fork assembly as well. No paint means less weight to the tune of 70-100g. High modulous carbon saves additional weight - this frame is a total 220g lighter than stock. Mavic tubular wheels save tons, as will the Vredestein tubulars. Why go crazy and unreliable when major weight can be saved by true innovation and optimization? Hopefully, Roel, Jakob and Kashi can have a perfect day and grab a medal!

Ernesto Colner?

I know Colnago has branched out into city bikes, but this is rediculous. Spotted in Basel, Switzerland, where one in four bikes is a Cannondale Bad Boy (true). Proving that there is no shame, check out the head tube badge... the famous Colner spade with the world championship stripes. Truly a beautiful bike with a great race heritage.

Oh Yeah

Just found the photos of our encounter with the cop at Lago di Garda that I wrote about here. Thought it was worth posting! This was the moment of clarity... you can see Ivan saying "yeah, it's really me" and the cop saying "ma che cazzo!"


Little man with a badge.


And after.

l'Alpe

Wednesday I was able to get my guests to the start and in their respective team cars for their amazing day at the Tour. After the start, I tucked in to the caravan of team busses and followed them (sometimes slowly) up and down and around the hairpins on the way to Bourg d'Oisans. Once there, I jumped in Dario's car and followed Nibali up the Alpe d'Huez. The fans were amazing. We rounded one bend to see a sea of orange-clad Dutch fans. The devil was spotted quite early up the hill as well. Apparently, there were more fans on the Galibier and Croix de Fer.

Unfortunately, Nibali ran out of steam but showed a desire to suffer in order to learn the ropes. He picked up rider after rider almost the whole way up. Dario was great as usual, yelling at the young Sicilian the only way a loud mulleted Venetian ex-pro can. He also passed water to almost every rider we went past... Ryder, Schumi, Bruseghin and the rest.

Afterward, we enjoyed dinner at a great French place, got a quick night's sleep, and headed back down the Alpe for the start of the next stage. A road block until 2:00 meant that we couldn't actually leave Bourg d'Oisan! We eventually got back to Basel at about 7:00... whew! glad that's over. Great experience, but a nice week to cross off! I've now been to the Tour and back FOUR times!

Now if I could just get back on my bike...


Convoy!


This guy's gonna be a great GC rider someday.


On the lower slopes of l'Alpe d'Huez.


A little higher up... then my battery kicked it!

Reallon Ski Station

So after three hours of sleep, I did the ten-hour drive to Réallon Ski Station where LG was staying. The hotel itself is at 2100 meters and has spectacular views to the crags above. The drive itself was (other than long and tiring) spectacular. Twisty roads at super high altitudes with no guard rails! I can see how John-Lee fell off course during the day's stage.