Well sports fans, tomorrow is the next big day - the 2008 UCI Junior Time Trial world championship race. Since I last checked in, Taylor competed in the points race on the track and then we hung out for a couple of days preparing for the time trial. In the points race, Taylor crushed his qualifying heat...taking a lap on the field and winning at least one of the sprints. In the final, though, the outcome was a little different. Taylor was definitely a marked rider, and didn't have any friends on the track. The points race is very tactical, and several other riders took advantage of every opportunity. Fortunately, though, it was a safe race and was good training for the time trial for Taylor.
The rain and wind came back on Tuesday and we spent the day relaxing and then watched the movie "Blood Diamond". It's a really intense flick, and had a couple of scenes that took place in Cape Town, South Africa. After the movie I caught up on some work and ended up staying up until about 3am. At 4am, I woke up to the sound of screetching car tires and gun shots. Unfortunately a police officer was shot and killed while trying to apprehend a robber about a block away from our hotel. We have been careful here, and haven't strayed out at night - and this provided a blast of reality that confirmed that we have been doing the right thing. It's amazing to me to see both the incredible wealth and the incredible poverty all mixed next to one another here. There are shanty towns with thousands living in terrible conditions right across from a shop that sells Lamboughini's and Ferrari's.
Now, it is the night before the TT and we are relaxing. Taylor is looking to defend the world title that he earned last year - he will be the final rider leaving and will know what's going on. It's a rolling course with some challenging uphills, steep downhills (perfect for his supertuck), and likely some wind. Here's hoping for a good day! Stay tuned for the results tomorrow....
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