Caldwell post crashRedlands is one of the very few races we do that has a host housing program. The race organization sets teams up with families in the area. Every year I’ve done Redlands, we’ve stayed with great people who made us feel right at home. This year is no different. We’re staying in a massive home where the six of us each have our own room. There’s ample space to park the team trailer out front and a pool and grill out back. Yes, it doesn’t get much better than this.

The business part of the trip starts tomorrow afternoon with the traditional 5 km uphill prologue, with two 500 m “walls” in the final 2 km. The first part is a slight climb, where it will be important to throttle back a little and save some for the final two kickers. It’s a short violent effort, but will play an important part in determining the overall winner since there isn’t a mountain top finish as in previous years.

While the rest of team Slipstream is rocking out in Europe, we have a small team with several riders from the U23 VMG team rounding out the roster here. There’s a lot of enthusiasm and everyone here is ready to make our presence known.

I only got a taste of racing early this season and since the day of my crash (photo above post Bessèges crash), I’ve been looking forward to pinning another number on my back.

A little nervousness and a lot of excitement… just perfect. - Blake