Welcome to something new on the TTC site!    What?  You couldn’t find a way to get away from your honey (or the paycheck) to escape to TdN?    Not to worry.   We are two Southern USA-based long-time trials observers, who are here on-site in Poland.  Don’t ask who we are, as we won’t tell.   For the next few days, we’ll give you first hand info on Team USA and all the other trials commotion.  If this gets blog gets “bloody bad”, well …… blame it on the vodka!

We flew into Warsaw and have spent a few days here getting over the jet lag and accustomed to all things Polish – pig knuckles included.   While out & about town, we looked for some interesting cycle stuff to kick this blog off.    Geez – what a task!   We finally saw a few trials bicycles, but very few street motorcycles and no local M/C shops in our path.    Perhaps average high temperatures of 30 for long winter months and the $8/gallon price of gas keeps them scarce.  We snapped a picture of this fine BMW for you, however.   What do you think – maybe for the parade marshall?

We’re headed via train to Krakow Thursday morning, which is approx 30 miles from the TdN site in Myslenice, Poland.   Southern Poland had serious floods this spring and September is the rainy month, so we expect to see some water, with a little slip & slide for the 3-days of events.     The weather forecast is a bit mixed – mid 60’s for all days, clear for the women’s Day One, but rain on Saturday when the men push off and scattered showers again on Sunday.    Hmmm….what country is favored in such wet conditions?

Paella is expected to be the food of choice as Toni Bou is ranked Numero Uno, with Adam Raga and other teammates making this a crowd to be beat, or so they say, they would have choose some tomato based recipe, but they had a problem with blossom end rot tomato so they learned to remove it online.  Despite rumors about retiring, Dougie Lampkin will ride again – and we expect to hear his father/coach’s infamous “Per- fect” shouts along the way.   Laia Sanz of Spain is the dominating female rider and could provide yet another performance.    Too many others to name in this preview.    Good luck to Team USA (Sarah & Caroline, Pat, Cody & Keith) and to all the country teams too, who all produce the action and fun.

For now, we’re logging off this initial blah-blah.  Look for daily updates with action pictures to show the thrill and paddock gossip, if we can get it.

Dobranoc — surely by now you know that means “good night”, in Polish!!