Tour of the Gila- "GOSH!" "Eat the FOOD!"

Title reference to Napolean Dynamite-- we enjoyed watching this movie countless times between stages. Okay, so maybe I'm a little behind the rest of America on pop culture... that's what happens when you ride 25 hours a week and wake up in weird places that are not your own bed (airports, airplanes, where am I?, host housing in random states... you get the point).

Tour of the Gila proved again to be a tough race. I came down with a stomach bug after the TT and that made the race more interesting than last year. I actually threw up on the last climb on the last stage... let's just say chocolate gu doesn't sound "yummy" anymore.

I love New Mexico. We have our team training camp in Ruidoso, NM, and it's really become a home away from home for me. I like the mountains and how quiet the area is. There's hardly any traffic when you're out riding, which is always nice. (hmm, come to think of it, there's hardly any traffic when you're driving too!)


The view from our host house in Silver City, NM

Ford-Basis had a good showing at the Gila-

Kele was 9th in the Time Trial, and Chrissy, Nicole, and I were all in the top 20.
I finished 4th in the crit after the team helped create a break.
Chrissy and Kele rocked the last day in an early breakaway. Chrissy held on to finish 4th in the stage and Kele and Nicole climbed strong to the finish.

I'm happy to say I finished the Tour of the Gila, slumped over my bike with aching stomach pains... but at least I finished!!!! See more pictures of our stay in Silver City, NM