Hello everyone! It's still January but I have my first race of the 2010 season under my belt.

I was lucky enough to be flown south to Nassau in the Bahamas. The field was not huge and the course was flat but all you need is a strong wind coming off the ocean to make for a tough bike race. And have wind we did. The race started with a 40ish mile circuit race. My job was to sit in for the first 40km, then cover moves. Our two early break guys went up the road though, so I started covering breaks very early. The race was short and not overly hard, but later that same day we had a 5km out and back TT. Recovery and eating and drinking is important on these double days and it was very nice to have personnel on hand that tended to the needs of the riders. All we had to focus on was staying off our feet and giving our all that afternoon. I have never been the strongest at time trials, a weakness I hope to improve on during this coming season. I still put in a respectable time and finished 10th - 20 seconds behind the winner Floyd Landis.

The next day's road race put me in the hurt locker. My job was to cover anything that went in the first 50km. I did this as well as set tempo in our echelon in all cross wind sections. Rotating at the front with your team is an awesome experience, yet hurt like nothing else. This time of year when the legs have had no intensity and you hear 'okay, everyone on the front. Next 5km, VO2 effort' you wince a little. And this was in the first two laps of a five lap race. It is a very satisfying feeling when you do this as a team though. Everyone hurting together, splintering the peleton. After a few of these efforts (and covering moves in between) one of our team leaders, Caleb Fairly, got into a break with two other guys. He attacked them going into the last lap and soloed in for the win on the day and the win overall. I not only stuck it out for the first 50km but was able to help my teammates until about 10km to go when I had pushed myself as far as I would go. I knew coming into this season I would be expected to give everything for the team's result rather than my own, and when you are riding for guys that you know can win it is easier to suffer. By the end of the race we had won both road stages and had first and second on the GC. Not a bad way to start the season eh?

The trip was not all bike racing though. We met up with one of our sponsors who lives in the Bahamas, mostly Mark Holowesko, and hung out with his friend Floyd Landis. Being with Floyd and Chann was an experience, the two of them telling stories about racing in Europe. They have some crazy stories as you can imagine. When the racing was over we of course found time to dip into the Caribbean and catch a few rays on the beach. The local food was good, but it is no wonder fried conch, seared conch and conch salad has not found a large following in the states. We also got to play with the new Garmins. The technology for Garmins is so complex, and yet using one on your bike is so simple. You just slap it on the handlebars and it tells you everything you need to know via satellite. If you have a wireless power meter it works effortlessly with it. Technology these days is incredible.

This weekend I will head into the Texas interior for a two day race in New Braunfels. New Brauns is one of my favorite towns. Just south of Austin I grew up going down there, staying at my grandparent's condo and tubing down the river. No tubing on this trip though! The racing scene in Texas is tough, especially with Austin's San Jose team moving up to the Continental status. I will be the only guy from my team there and will be able to ride for myself. Fingers crossed I pull out a V. The weekend after that I head to Boulder for our training camp.

I want to give a big thanks to Mark Holowesko for not only supporting our team, but also showing us a wonderful time in the Bahamas.

Thanks for reading and keep a lookout for my next update which should be coming soon!

Thacker