<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Back into the surreal world of International cycling.

<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>One more trip for the year. One last chance to make right a year where so many things have gone wrong for me.

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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>First I must thank everyone in the Forde family. Without the help of Barry, Heather, Colin and Jason—this racing trip wouldn’t have happened.

<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Another big-up goes to Ian McLean of T&T. I stayed in a lovely small villa with Ian, his son (and future star sprinter) Haseem, Jonathan Rollins and Ako Kellar –all of T&T.

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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>After the usual 17 hours of packing, driving, flying, I arrived in hot and humid <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Barbados<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>.

<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>I was very pleased and impressed at the welcome Mrs. Forde and the rest of the <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Barbados<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial> Cycling <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Union<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial> put out. I am no stranger to cycling in the <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Caribbean<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial> – so I kinda expect things to run at a much more confusing and slower pace than here in the States.

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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>I get settled in at the villa and try to sleep.

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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Thursday Nov. 23rd (US Thanksgiving <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Holiday<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>)

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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Next day I wake up to rain.

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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Lots of hot tropical rain.

<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>I build up the road bike and set off around <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>noon<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial> hoping to get in a little stretch of the legs the day before the track events. About 10 mins into the ride—rain, Rain then RAIN!

<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>It seems that the whole island was flash flooding—not fun.

<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Really hope we don’t have the track events rained out!! That would suck!

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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Guess what happened on Friday??

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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Friday Nov. 24th

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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>Yep – rain.

<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>So-after a few rain delays—the Bajan Fed decides to start Saturday morning @ <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>9 am<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial> and run all day and night to get most of the program in.

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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>OK—now try to sleep? No, Ako and I found our way to a nice nightspot where some friends of his were supposed to meet us. <SPAN lang=EN-CARRIBEAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial>


Harbour<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: " Black?;? Arial> Lights is a very cool club with good tunes, a mix of tourists and locals, and a dance floor that opens up right to the beach.

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