Welcome to California (again)!

Where do we start? It's been a long day and a long trip, and we haven't even raced yet! Despite the trip starting off fantastically with running into friends at the airport, and having one of them generously upgrade us to Business Class for our Ottawa - Toronto leg, we seem to have a black cloud hanging over us...

1. Brian was held up at security in Toronto while they went through his carry-on piece by piece.
2. We and our bikes arrived in San Francisco last night, but our luggage (which has all our casual clothes, toiletries, etc) didn't.
3. We put our bikes together in the parking lot of Windsor High School - the site of T2 and the finish, to realize that the derailer and hanger on Brian's bike was completely bent.
4. Well, there isn't a 4 and we're hoping it stays that way. They do after all, say that bad things come in threes, but it wouldn't hurt if there was a little finger-crossing going on :)

We arrived in San Francisco late last night. Our flight was very smooth with no delays - the upgrade to Business class was greatly appreciated. What a treat to be at the front of the plane and to have all that cushy room! The G&Ts didn't hurt either ;)

Since we travelled through Toronto, we had to pick up our luggage there before going through customs. We had a tight connection as it was and were a bit anxious that the bikes wouldn't make it. As it turns out, they did, but our other luggage didn't. Good thing we had planned to stay in San Fran last night as we were able to go back to the airport to get our bag before we headed north to Windsor to check-in. Before we headed out of town, we took the time to go to Fisherman's Wharf and watch the sea lions in action....if lying on the docks, with an occasional scratch and shift in position can be called action. I don't think it's much wonder how they get to be so big.

The drive north was absolutely beautiful. What started out as a foggy, 59 degree day, turned into a sunny 85+ degree day. We're both a little worried that we may run into the same conditions tomorrow, as the weather forecast hadn't prepared us for that. We both always travel with sleeves though, so we should be OK.

Race check-in went well. No hiccups. We got to talk to the Blue reps from the northern California area, and chatted briefly with Craig Alexander...kind of nice that he recognizes us without us having to remind him of who we are. He told us he'd cheer us on tomorrow, but we suspect his race will be well over before we make it into T1....

The problems didn't start until we started putting the bikes together and Brian realized that his derailer didn't line up the way it should. We took the bike over to the Blue rep and he sent us over to the mechanic on site hoping he could work some magic. His first assessment was that the hanger was bent, and while he could try to straighten it, he couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't snap on him. He suggested, to be safe, that he try to readjust the derailer so that Brian could at least get his bike to shift into some of the gears. Unfortunately, once he started working on the Blue, he surmised that the derailer was bent and otherwise defunked. Barring some miracle, this meant that Brian would not be able to ride.

It's not over until the fat lady sings, or so they say, and Brian headed straight to the Race Registration Director, Amy, and she referred us to the local bike shop (which happens to be right across from our hotel). She even called them and told them we were on our way. Good karma...

By this point is was 4:45 and we knew that timing would be tight. While Brian packed the bikes into the car, Heather ran with their Bike to Run stuff (shoes and visors) and set them up in T2.

A little side track, but I should explain the race setup. Vineman is like no other race we have done to date. Swim start, T1 and T2 are all in different locations, and instead of leaving your bikes behind the day before, you leave only your shoes. You bring the bikes with you on race day morning, set up T1 and then get shuttled to the swim start - this could make for a long morning if the weather is cool.

Once we got all packed, we left (high-tailed it!) for the bike shop. They had been expecting us and impressively attended to Brian's bike right away. They concurred with the original assessment, and immediately got to work, exchanging his defunked derailer with a brand new one. They were able to successfully straighten Brian's hanger, and with a little oil and small adjustments, his Blue was looking good and ready for tomorrow. A Big Thank You to the boys at Norcal for their awesome work!

Now, we're checked into the hotel and are looking forward to cleaning up and headed out for our pre-race meal. With his Blue being all fixed up, Brian's tummy has settled and sickness has turned into hunger pains.

For those who wish to follow along tomorrow, Brian's number is 338 and his wave goes off at 6:54 AM. Heather's number is 1183, and will be in the water 40 minutes later at 7:34 AM.

We head back to San Fran after our race and have been told that our hotel has Internet so we hope to get a post-race blog in before we head home.

cheers,
Heather & Brian