Everyone was very quiet at the breakfast table this morning. All you could hear was the rain pounding down on the rooftop. We all know the risks that are involved with racing in the rain and we all know that we must prepare for an epic day ahead. The winds are gusting over 100kph and the rain is steady, the only saving grace is that it feels much warmer than the past two days. We have a very long two hour transfer to the start this morning. We will be spending most of that time looking out the windows for a break in the clounds and hoping for dryer roads.

The race itself was full on and we never once eased up. The constant attacks along with the rain and wind wore down on everyone. By the time we hit the finishing circuits it only took one acceleration to shatter the field.  The circuit itself is as hard as it gets. Steep hills, up to 23% grade, and very small and twisty roads. It must be something to watch on TV, and I feel it is what we need more of in the sport. The fans were amazing as well. I couldn’t even hear myself think on St. Patrick’s Hill it was so loud.

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Another beautiful day here in Ireland today. Clear skies and warm weather by Irish standards. We rolled out of the neutral section and before I could even shift into the big chainring a break of two guys were up the road. That made for a boring first half of the race, but gave us a chance to take in some of the beautiful sights of Tipperary County.      

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We had an awesome start to the day today. An very nice breakfast, which we later figured out would have cost us €175 each had we have been a paying customer at the Ritz! The actual start to the race was right outside the lobby, it doesn’t get any better than that. Bernie, my roommate for the week, and I were joking about going to sign-in in our bathrobes and slippers.

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I first came here to Ireland back in 2000. I was a young teenager and was taking my first trip out of the US.  I had no idea of what to expect, but was very excited to see a different part of the world.  My father took me along with him on a business/golf trip and as soon as we arrived I instantly feel in love with Europe and traveling for that matter.  I was blown away by the history and how around every corner there was something more interesting than the last.  It was a trip that really helped me grow as a person and one I will always remember.

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