Hold Please...

And --poof-- just like that, Gila is done, and we're on our way elsewhere. This trip has been a bit of a whirlwind: Boise to Salinas to Tulsa to Fayetteville back to Tulsa to Albuquerque to Silver City to Tucson and finally...back to Boise. I shall rest for four days, and then, just as I've caught my breath, I'll be back on the road.

The final stages of Gila weren't spectacular for Team Exergy. Logan lost contact with the front of the crit with one to go, rendering that stage a dud, but Matt had a very strong ride on the final stage (the dreaded Gila Monster). I was next to useless both days. But here's what you have to keep in mind: we've got bigger fish to fry. California is upon us, and what's past is prologue. Carlos Alzate just showed the country he's red hot at Speedweek. He won the overall, the lap leader's competition, and two of the stages  (read all about the team's magnificent conquest of Speedweek on Ben's blog). Matt is heading into Cali with impeccable form. The team is united, motivated, and prepared. Once we assemble our full strength in California, we shall be a force to be reckoned with. We've just had three straight weeks of hard racing, and after a little rest, should be ready to test ourselves against the world's best. And maybe kick a little ass doing so...

I have to take a moment to thank the wonderful people who hosted Team Exergy over the last month. A small-budget Continental team like ours truly relies on host-housing the make our budget work. Every one of our hosts at the last three races were downright delightful, and I left each race feeling like I'd made friends. After yesterday's stage, Jim and Danielle Moffett had burritos waiting for us, one more taste of New Mexico before hitting the road.

Como se dice "yum" en espanol? 

And then hit the road we did:

Also, here's an amusing video: