Whew! Another successful trip to China for the Tour of Qinghai Lakes completed. Jelly Belly did an awesome job of fighting through the altitude and questionable food to score three top-five finishes. We all had a blast racing through the beautiful, yet untamed, western province of Qinghai. When we weren’t in race mode, we had a little opportunity to do some sightseeing and DVD buying.
We started the race off with a bang in the prologue by getting four riders in the top twenty. Brad Huff was a mere 13 seconds off the pace, with Bernard, Nic, and Jeremy also within 25 seconds of the win. After we crossed the line, I think we were all gasping for the air that wasn’t quite there. The next day, we hit the first of many climbs to come, with Mike Lange and myself making the front group. From there on, Mike did an awesome job of getting over the 12,000ft plus climbs, finishing an impressive 22nd place in GC.
On the flat stages, Jelly Belly did a great job of getting Nic Sanderson to the finish line. Barely outsprinted, Nic scored two fourth places and a tenth, just inches away from the win each time.
I was the only non-finisher for Jelly Belly succumbing not to the food poisoning that steals the legs from most riders at this race, but from a killer case of tendonitis in my left knee. After a meeting with Danny, we decided that in stage 6, if I had any pain I should withdraw. Never having pulled out of a big stage race like this, I wasn’t sure what the proper protocol was. When I got to the broom wagon, the driver suggested that I hope on the bus while it was still driving. I was pretty sure that wasn’t the right way to get on, so I finally convinced them to pull over and stop for me. It wasn’t fun, and I hope to never ride in a broom wagon again!
Chicken Feet for dinner! Mmmm…
A few personal notes from the race:
Bernard- After stage 2, Bernie boldly claimed that he would NEVER come back to this race; however, a few days later he was saying how cool of an experience this was with a full Cheshire cat grin on his face. He also bought a sword for $25US.
Brad- Ate only rice and eggs the entire trip.
Micro- Entertained the team with his AK-47 BB gun, popping the mechanics from his perch in his hotel window as they loaded the team car.
Matty- Again bought a DVD player and about 200 DVDs for under $150US.
Jenni and Katie- Once again, these girls took the best care of us the entire trip. They also put up with countless shenanigans. Thanks girls!!!
