March 18, 2004 – Team Basis' Nicole Freedman booked a flight to Geelong, Australia last month in an attempt to spend a decade's worth of babysitting earnings ($.70/ hour) in under 24 hours. The plan and flight landed Nicole halfway around the world where she noticed Australia's Geelong is “really quite similar” to Boston.
Both coastal towns, one sees obvious parallels between Australia's expansive white sand beaches and clear blue water and Boston Harbor. Adjusting for the cost of the plane flight to Australia, the post-Boston Harbor-swim-with-the-syringes visit to the hospital is a virtual bargain.
Australians drive on the left hand side of the road. Bostonians do too, in addition to driving over curves and backing up on one way streets. Australians engage strangers in conversation: “How ya doing mate”. Bostonians: “Get the F— out of my way.”
While in Geelong, Nicole competed in the Geelong World Cup and Tour – the opening competitions of the international cycling circuit. Managing to extend her January peak >from through the opening of the racing season , Nicole finished 2nd in the final stage of the Geelong Tour and 13th in the World Cup. The results launched Nicole into 89th place in the UCI standings, shakily in the Top 100, a partial requirement for making the Israeli Olympic Team. Next month, Nicole will learn to shoot a large gun.
In another world class beach town, Heather Albert attended the opening US World Cup Track Qualifier in Ft Lauderdale, FL. While last year, Heather took on her National and Olympic level competitors riding a $3 rental bike reserved for beginning racers, Heather had the opportunity to race her very own, one day old, Javelin Track bike. “It took awhile to get used to not having the rental tag scraping my leg every pedal stroke.”
Ten days after her arrival in Ft Lauderdale, Heather finished 3rd in the scratch race, 4th in the points race and 4th in the pursuit*. She also learned that the meet was no longer a qualifier for the World Cup.
*Event details are omitted as 10 year cycling veteran and race report author, Nicole, has no idea what the events are. Cute names, though, “scratch”, hah.
Upcoming Basis events include:
3/13-3/14 Merced, CA, McLane Pacific Classic
3/18-3/21 San Dimas, CA Pomona Stage Race
3/20 Italy Primavera Rosa World Cup
3/24-3/26 Spain Vuelta a Castilla Y Leon
3/28 Spain Gran Premio Castilla y Leon, World Cup
3/24-3/28 Redlands, CA Redlands Bicycle Classic
4/14-4/17 Monterey, CA Sea Otter Classic