After the FISU games, Ethan, Kevin and I headed to a US Air Force base in the southern Germany town of Sembach to train leading up to the Hamburg WC the following weekend(Ethan and I had been there in 2006). It is great to get on the base because it is a little piece of America away from home, replete with American food (at the bowling alley) and a commissary with all your American favorites (incl. Yoplait and PowerBar) and at subsidized prices no less! We were there Sunday to Thursday and left Thursday AM for Hamburg--a 8 hour trip north by car.
The Hamburg WC was a great experience. The three of us all finished in the top 20. It was the first WC for Ethan and I. His 15th place finish earned him the best WC debut of an American. My 19th was good enough to tie Andy Potts for the second-best WC debut for an American. The swim was rough. The "train" left from the opposite side of the pontoon from me. I got open water pretty easily, but only to find out I needed to be on the feet of the fast moving train far to my right. I may as well have been swimming in a pool for the limited contact I had with other athletes (rare in an ITU race). Nevertheless, I was able to finally work my way up through shear effort to make the second pack on the bike. The bike went pretty easily. I probably did more work than I should have, but it felt much easier than the previous week. I got off the bike in ok position, had a terrible T2--I couldn't get my flats on. I race decently, picking off some guys from the pack. But my run still needs work.
After watching the women's race the next day, Ethan flew home to race Geneva today, while Kevin and I returned to Sembach for a few days. We then headed two days ago to Tizajavarous (sp?) for a third straight week of racing at the WC there. The race is tomorrow and I am feeling pretty good. I'm seeded 16th and hoping to maintain position for my second top 20 at a WC. Then its home for a bit and off to the springs for a training camp.
Oh, I almost forgot. Our orders that get us on to Sembach also work for Ramstein, so Kevin and I twice made the 20-minute drive to Ramstein to see the C-130s (its the busiest flightline in the armed forces) and eat at Chili's. Yes, there's a Chili's in Germany. It was amazing. Only one Mac Deux meal for me so far...
Below are pics of Kevin, Ethan and I after Hamburg and the number-two-in-the-world FISU team, respectively.
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