Redlands Stage 1 and 2

Redlands:
The weather suddenly got pretty hot.  I soaked my jersey twice before the prologue time trial.  The energy I saved from not having to cool my body by its own means was worth carrying the extra weight ;).  It all evaporated before the first right hand turn to head uphill anyways.  The course was just over 3 miles of climbing at various gradients. 
I got a penalty of 1 second for flying off the start ramp a little to early.  I thought the guy was holding me tighter than that...
The second stage was great.  Juvéderm-Specialized kits were always riding up at the front of the pack.  We were in on the climb points and the sprint points, riding strong, and working really well as a team.  We had to be pretty careful to keep hydrated as well.
There were a couple of weird incidents, like half of the peloton turing the wrong way on the course.  And how about this one : at the second last climb before the long flat to the finish, I was chasing to hang on with the small break that formed.  There was a short downhill before the final climb and I knew that it was my chance to get back onto the group.  I flashed back in my mind to my DVDs I watch in the winter on the trainer.  I imagined Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin talking about a guy who needs to take risks on the descents in the Alps and the Pyrenées if they want to be remain in contention for the end.  So, I took the risk.  I went too fast, got scared and braked a little and skidded out.  I didn't hit my head.  I got a guy to help me up and I jumped back in with some girls who fell off the back .  I came over the line late, but I'll be fine for tomorrow's crit!  Great job today girls, and I'll keep my tires down next time ;)