The woman’s crit in downtown Santa Rosa had a great turnout, both racers and spectators. It was raining the entire race, dumping at times. I pushed my new gear a bit too far for comfort...but got some good pics. I can now vouch for the water resistance of Nikon’s. I shot w/ my 70-200mm the entire day, now I can stand on the outside of corners. Sweet. Rachel Lloyd held it down for the Proman Hit Squad, grabbing 3rd place and the appropriate share of the $15,000 booty. Nice work Rachel, we cheer for Lloyd not Floyd.

The men rolled in and we cheered Mancebo like we voted for Bush...blinded by ignorance. Many people asked me why I was booing selected riders, rather than rattle off the various “mistakes” made by the Floyds, Tylers, Lances and the Rock and Republics, I simply explained that because of these guys, the real hometown heros are watching the race at home. Lance has us so good, it’s not even about doping anymore, if you say anything bad about Lance, it’s like talking trash about cancer.

Monday we rode up to the top of the KOM, finding shelter just in-time for the 100 year storm to unleash it’s fury. True to form, BJM manned up for a long one, knowing his hometown was awaiting all along the climb and into the finish. I failed to take any good racing shots, I was banking on my flash...that apparently doesn’t like to get wet. Harsh.

Before we begin, big ups to Shelley, who delivered a World Cup podium for my Valentine’s Day present! She has been knocking on the door of a big result all year, gaining confidence and making progress in each race she entered. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am, she put some serious work and dedication into this result. I think this locks her a spot on the Worlds team...if so check back in late March for OTB coverage of Track Worlds in Poland.

First day of TOC, it was a total zoo. Life w/o a press pass is very difficult, there are about 10,000 other fans w/ cameras clamoring for a good spot to stand. It actually kinda sucks, people are less worried about the race and cheering, and more concerned about getting a picture w/ thier shitty camera or cell phone. Although It was fun explaining to people why I was booing Floyd and Tyler. NBut let me tell you, the Lance effect is in full force, he needs to come out w/ his own brand of Kool-Aid. It’s hard to hate on Lance because it’s good for the sport...on second thought, what am I talking about, screw Lance. I want a real champion, one I can believe in, one I can get choked up about, one I can tell my kids about. I want to believe again.

Shooting w/ the new D2X was really fun...although I struggled w/ the 70-200 f/2.8 VR, even on the monopod. You really need to dig into a spot and get set up. I’m used to panning like mad, it’s much harder to do when zoomed in...especially on the monopod. The majority of the pics I posted today were taken w/ a 24-70 f/2.8, using the flash seemed to be the key, between the clouds and buildings the light was difficult all day. This set up is light years ahead of my old kit, I expect the quality @ OTB Photo to rise exponentially as I figure this out.

I was hoping for better access to the warm up and team cars...especially the Rock and Republic bus, but I couldn’t find them. My main goal for the week is getting Tyler to autograph his own doping diary (that I printed out).

Below is Svein Tuft, we cheer for him, he is a champion we can believe in. We also cheer for this guy, and anyone who looks like him. However we heckle and boo this guy, and it’s generally safe to heckle and boo anyone wearing this kit.