I don't think that professional cyclists get to enjoy Thanksgiving like you and I do. They inevitably have to be on their bike for hours that day and for all the days in the foreseeable future. However, if the Astana guys were to have indulged in a little Turkey and gravy last week they are well past recovered from any early holiday weight gain they may have experienced. This last week was the first of two Astana Training camps. It was in Tenerife, a small island in the Canary Islands. The island is amazing for training, it has over 6,500 verticle feet of climbing, starting from sea level. The guys rode a minimum of 2.5 hours per day and they usually were out for more like 4 hours. This was the first time that Lance was with his new team and it marked his official return to professional cycling, after all no man can win the Tour alone..... I was pretty busy out at the camp so my photos are not great but here are a few to share. I was at the camp to talk about some new prototype wheels, get some orders in for 2009 product, show some of the new Bontrager clothing and just mingle with the guys. I guess this means that the 2009 cycling season is off and running....
