Horsing around in Kamloops

One of the biggest debates we had when packing our gear was whether or not we should bring along a trainer. From previous experiences, when traveling for a race and not really knowing the area, it is often good to just set the trainer up in the hotel room and use it for some easy spinning. It's not as if there are a lack of roads here, there are many, but you just never know if it's gonna be super hilly or lots of traffic ect. That being said we had room for either an extra set of wheels or a trainer and the wheels won. So we have been doing our training on Shuswap Road. It's basically about 2km form our Hotel, and this road just seems to go on to infinity. It runs parallel to the Thompson River which dissects the South Shore (where we are) and the North Shore where we ave been riding. The road is winding up and down, never flat and sits a little higher than the South Shore line. You get a really cool view of the different landscapes of the region. The hills to the North look like they are out of the desert, brown, dusky, not a lot of vegetation. There are lots of Free Ranges and signs that say " watch for live stock and free range animals". I'm not exactly sure what that means but I think it basically means you better be able to pedal your butt off if a large Bison runs after you. My dad told me that there have not been any recent attacks on humans by Bison's. I told him I didn't want to be the first, those things are frigging huge! There are a lot of Cattle and horses in the fields. Yesterday we were riding and horse was a few meters from the road, I think he was grazing or eating or whatever it is that horses do to feed themselves. All of a sudden the horse takes off running, but it really freaked me out because he had a red coat on. I told Natasha that there was a horse with a red coat on, of course she thought I was totally anaerobic and hallucinating from a lack of oxygen. This also often happens when I am away training, in Spain I saw Blue Peacocks in a roof and no one believed me. So today I brought a camera with me to prove that horses in BC wear coats. Also, we pre-rode the Nationals course, it's pretty cool. Seems like a good mix of sand,grass,pavement and weired quirky twists and turns that organizers always seem to add to the mix. Some sketchy curbs and stuff, hopefully they will have boards over some of the stuff otherwise it will be pinch flat central for anyone having super low PSI or not on tubs. More on htat later. I guess the key to success is being highly adaptable to any course, even if stuff looks a little sketch, everyone has to ride the same course.
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