March 28, 2006 Where am I again? Giverola, Switzerland... I'm back on the road, baby! Hola from Giverola! So, you may be wondering why I haven’t updated my web site in such a long time. I myself am wondering the same thing. Perhaps it’s because I was busy doing things like driving to Mexico for Melissa and Hector’s wedding in October (seriously you guys, it was the best party I’ve ever been to!), working at Local Ride (I miss you Barry, Brad, Dave, Ben, Steve and Tanya!), doing contract writing work and training (wish you were here Jean Ann and Leah, my faithful training buddies). Oh yeah, and I went to Ecuador (second-best party I’ve ever been to) for three weeks in there somewhere too. Busy busy busy. And now I’m in Spain again! But I’m only actually here for a week-long training camp, reaping the benefits of a warm Spanish spring (already got a sunburn and I swear I have more freckles in only two days)! Sunny Spain sure wasn’t a bad way to spend my 26 th birthday either (which was yesterday for those of you who forgot). Nobody here forgot. The second I stepped off of the bus after the 12-hour overnight drive (ugh!), I was showered with kisses (ooh!) and congratulations. And later in the evening I was treated to a fabulous party, complete with beer and Mikado! Thanks everyone! I have loads of stories and photos from my various adventures since that last stagnant update I wrote in September, but I’ll post those some other time. Right now, my goal is just to bring you up to speed. My current situation: living in Switzerland with my uncle Sepp and Sonya, his girlfriend. Why am I living in Switzerland? Because it’s the country with the best chocolate, cheese and bread in the world! Do you really need another reason? I suppose it validates things when I tell people I’m racing for Team X.O-Felt, a Swiss-based mountain bike team (but that's just a front for the aforementioned reasons). I’m here for 3.5 months, racing Swisspower Cups, World Cups in Madrid and Spa, and a couple of mountain bike marathons. My team situation is super. I was almost blown away by how supportive Stefan (Team Manager), Dani (Mechanic) and Andri (Mechanic/Gofer/Slave) have been. I feel spoiled (and I’m lovin’ it)! I had my first Swisspower Cup last Saturday in Volketswil. Check out my race report. It’s great to be in Spain again, although it’s only for a short week. So many of the friends I made last year are back again and I’m having flashbacks. Good times. I’m excited for the disco Friday night and the fashion show (of which I’ll be a spectator!) on Sunday. And the buffet is as good as ever, but I am managing to control myself. Yay me! My first few weeks in Switzerland have been super. I’ve been exploring the beautiful countryside around Meikirch, the charming country town near Bern where Sepp and Sonya live. They’ve been so generous, letting me stay at their place and invade with all of my bike paraphernalia. I really appreciate it. I’ve already had the chance to spend some time with my grandparents in Zollikofen, which is only a 25-minute bike ride (including detours trying to find the place) from Meikirch. Grosi spoils me with plum cake and tea and we play “Jass,” the Swiss national card game. I’m still learning and they’re being quite patient. That’s it for now. I won’t go into too many details about the past five months, otherwise this would be the update that never ends. (L-R) Martina, Nico, Me, Roman, Fabienne. Go team! One of Sepp and Sonya's cats lounging on top of the bookshelf in my room. They also like hiding out under my bed.   >> The Quote Board << NEW! Amazing, amusing real-life quotes! Warning: May only be funny if you were there. “You know the guy who drives the bus? The bus driver?” – Martina, trying to explain something to Sandra in a very serious voice. “Learn to chirp.” – Sandra to Martina after she attempted imitate birds. “I really wanna eat Fritz.” – Sandra to herself regarding the chocolate bunny Martina gave her for her birthday. “GROWL.” – Martina’s stomach after eating dinner at the buffet. “It’s hollow; it doesn’t count.” – Martina regarding hollow chocolate items as opposed to solid ones.