Oh Canada!

It's always neat to come across a little piece of home when you least expect it.

A Love Letter

Dear Turbo Trainer

I can't believe after 7 long months together we have gone our separate ways.

I still think about you from time to time. Like earlier this week, when the weather turned and coach gave me the option of riding the trainer. I just couldn't do it, it felt like betrayal. Instead, I put on my rain gear and ventured outside, remembering the good old days. Don't worry, I promise riding in the Alps pales in comparison to our thrilling sessions together.

I will never forget that session when we were ten minutes late and missed the beginning of What Not to Wear. Or that day when the fan wasn't working, it was nearly pitch dark in the basement, and nothing was on tv apart from soap operas. Or the time when I broke out in full body hives as my body sweated out the medication from surgery. Of course there were the early days when our love first blossomed, when I had a cast on one arm and a sling on the other. I remember the pure excitement just being able to spend time with you.

And now, I am across the world and only left with this one photo....

London-bound

I'm off to London tomorrow to check out the race course and cheer/spectate the WCS race this weekend. Despite many connections through Heathrow over the years, I actually don't think I've been in London since 2000, during my first year of university in southern England. I'm excited to return and more importantly, excited to finally be back on the World Cup circuit (even if it is in the injured-and-itching to race capacity).

And now a few recent pics:

The three goats again! This time I saw them galloping after cyclists ahead, so I was better prepared.

Ding-ding-Ding-ding

That's the sound I heard from behind as I was riding through the valley. I turned around and saw these three amigos with bells around their necks, trotting towards me. I've been chased by dogs before, even been snapped at by a snake, but a bell-tolling herd of goats in the mountains is definitely a first.

Jakobshorn

I took a little field trip up one of the mountains today ("cable car trip" were the exact words on today's training program, I believe). Davos is situated in a valley with some of the most picturesque, extreme mountains on either side so I had quite the selection of ski hills and cable cars to pick from. After a 10-minute stroll from my house, I was whisked up into the air for one of the most scenic gondola rides of my life. The next time my foot touched ground at the Jakobshorn station, I was at 9,000 ft. It was a bit of a hazy day, but the views were still incredible. I have been to some pretty scenic places in the world, but I think this might take the cake. I wandered out on one of the hiking trails and sat down in a meadow to take in the view and read my book. Apart from the buzzing flies and blowing breeze, there was not a sound in the air. It really was a surreal experience to look out across the Alps and realize that I was completely alone.

Anyway, I will stop there because I am already in enough trouble from my mountain man, Adam for sending daily Davos photos and excitedly talking a mile-a-minute over Skype. I think the photos will speak for themselves.

As for life and training, I've been settling in well with my new squad, my Swiss roommates and my life in the mountains. Training thus far has been short and simple, with the focus on getting my body working properly, and well, starting from scratch. My mind is definitely buzzing everytime I lace up my shoes, hop on my bike, or grab those swim cords. But, this is exactly what I signed up for!

Thankfully I left my heels at home.

It was over 20 degrees up there, but a few patches of snow were still to be found.

Looking out over the valley. Maybe this is Jakob?

Adam's dream house: no shower, just clean mountain air and millions of trails.

Kneeknacker Champ

BIG congrats, high-fives and hugs to my hubby for his win at the Kneeknacker 50km!


An update on my Swiss adventures in Davos coming soon!

Grizzly?

Calling all bear enthusiasts, is this a grizzly or a black bear?

Adam and I ventured up to Callaghan Valley to check out the spring flowers and stunning viewpoints at the Olympic XC ski venue. We came across these three bears in different locations near the top. The two below are clearly the common brown bear, but the one above was somewhat of a mystery to us. It's fur was a light brown colour, but it was shedding in patches, showing black coloured skin. It also had a slight "hump" on its back, usually a grizzly bear characteristic. It was also the only bear of the three that had been tagged. We weren't thinking it was a Grizzly at the time as we have never heard of them in the Whistler area, but after looking online, it turns out there are four resident grizzlies in the Callaghan Valley. Could we have been lucky enough to spot one?




A few more pics from our Squamish getaway:









That's right, in the "FAST" lane! Sadly this had nothing to do with my speed... it was the only empty lane which meant a minimal chance of someone breaststroke kicking me to the collarbone (my biggest fear!). Kicking with my arms at my side is anything but fast :-(

Misc.

I'm away in Squamish for a Canada Day (turned into a 2-day) getaway with Adam. I'll post some pics when we get back home, but for now, I found these on my phone from awhile ago. A very cute dog and vibrant flower - too good not to share!




In other news, I changed my plane ticket to Zurich. I'm now leaving on Thursday (yes, in 5 days!). I have my 5-week surgery follow-up in Victoria on Wednesday, and then I'm Europe-bound. It was a combination of getting antsy and needing some direction that led me to make this change.

Just one week until I can meet Sarah's buddy, Bessie!