Kaarle's Diary - Colorado Here We Come! 20th August 2010: Living in Australia means that travelling anywhere means one word - EPIC. 30hours of travel it took to get from Adelaide to Colorado Springs and it was a long and arduous trip - but non the less part of the job and I am pretty much so used to it now that I hardly ever get that cranky - unless you're name is Scott Sunderland (one of my team mates who at times infuriates me)! Our first trip was from Adelaide to Auckland and because we had 40pieces of luggage between 13people we had to be at the airport a lot earlier to make sure we got it all on properly! As you can in the picture below we had a lot of stuff! Check in was actually really quite effortless and we didn't get stuck with too much excess so thank you Air NZ! The trip to NZ was pretty easy, I slept for half of it and watched a few movies which was good. It was a nice new airplane to so that was cool...it even had an I-pod charger where the TV is in the back of the seats which is a lifesaver because I have my I-pod on 24/7 when I am travelling. We had a pretty long wait in Auckland airport, so we decided we might indulge ourselves in a little massage. Unfortunately there was only one guy working so it was first in best dressed and out mechanic Stu got in there first for a full body massage...I was kind of glad not to get one after I saw how this guy massaged!  Our trip from Auckland to Los Angeles was a nice 11.5hour trip and I think its worth mentioning here that on both flights so far I have been seated next to the one person I cant seem to escape...Dan! Dan Ellis is one of the guy sprinters, with whom I live with...seriously what is with that?! Ha-ha! The trip wasn't too bad and I slept for maybe 4hours of it - a restless sleep mind you but sleep! When we arrived in LA we were hit with our first feeling of warm weather for some time! OH YEAH! I have been to a few airports in the past and I have to say there are none worse than LA airport. After clearing customs, where you have to give you're fingerprints and have a mugshot taken (I am not joking) we had to pick all of our equipment up and we thought we just had to take it to a conveyor belt past the guys who check you're bags if you have anything to claim...well we were able to drop off our personal luggage but the bikes on the other hand, because they are over sized, we had to take to terminal 3. We were in Terminal 1. How do you get to terminal 3? Ha-ha...we certainly didn't know how... Finally we had dropped off our of our stuff and now it was a mad rush to try and get to our connecting flight to Denver on time...we didn't have long! Unlike Australian domestic terminals its not as simple as going through the security checkpoint...you had to have you're ticket checked first (to make sure you were flying - so no family can go in or anything) then you have to take you're shoes and coat off as well as take out all toiletries and computers! Far out! When we all finally made it through we were highly disappointed to see that our connecting flight was delayed! The trip from LA to Denver was pretty good...I was KO'd the whole way from the moment we took off to the moment we landed which was awesome because it was pretty quick for me! Denver airport would have to be one the most amazing airports I have ever seen! For a mostly domestic airport its absolutely huge! The roof of the main terminal is made our of sails, so that its energy efficient...I tried to get a decent photo from the outside but it was way too dark to see.  The problem with that airport is that its so big that there are three levels that you can pick up and drop off at. The trolleys cost 4dollars each and were designed to carry Ski gear so we could use the trolleys. Luckily (we thought) our baggage carousel was near the pick up zone we we carried all our stuff outside and waited for Gary and Tammie (my coach and head sport scientist) to get the cars. 30minutes later and no sign of them we realised that we weren't so lucky as we were at the 'corporate' pick up zone which meant we had to carry all the luggage (again!) up to the level above us to get it onto the truck. By this stage there were a few cranky people and a few fights happened. Which luckily were sorted. Another hour and a bit drive and finally we arrived at the US Olympic Training Centre at 1.30am! 30hours later! We had quick showers and hopped into bed all very tired and glad to be here. This morning I woke up to the sound of the boys enjoying a spot of basketball before heading to the cafeteria for breaky. I was glad to see the mountains in the distance (well not really distance, they are too close for my liking! ha ha) and to an absolutely awesome facility. We have a pool outside our building and everything is pretty amazing - photos of the facility will come at a later stage. I hope everyone back home in Oz are enjoying the cold! I might head down for a swim because I am so hot! Ha ha! Take care all and until next time... Karls P.s. This a note to my mother and father...I have already copped crap about the spelling of my name by one of the coaches here at that training centre...he says I am the girl they will remember as having two A's in her name! Ha-ha...great! Love you! Goodbye Adelaide...Hello my dreams... Well 4days and counting now before the team and I head off for our final prep for the Commonwealth Games. I suppose its only starting to sink in that in less than two months time I will be rolling out onto the track in Delhi not only wearing the green and gold but for the first time in my career realising one of my childhood dreams. To be a member of any Australian team is a huge honour but to represent Australia at the Commonwealth Games means so much to me. Not only that but its yet another opportunity for me to try and make a stand on the international stage of cycling and put my hand up as one of the favourites going into London in the individual events. Gold is what I am dreaming of and gold is what I want to bring home. This for me is a stepping stone to the ultimate - the Olympics. The last few days have been quite tough. Training was a little tougher than I expected for an 'easy' week and I struggled by the end of the week. Luckily I have a few very easy days until we fly out as I feel that my body has reached its limit in terms of how far I can push it. This is actually a good thing because it means that I utilised the phase of training to its maximum potential and I didn't under reach or over reach - both of which have serious consequences. On top of the training load I have desperately been trying to finish two Uni assignments due next week - which I am finding very hard to sit still and complete! I'll get into a roll for 20minutes and then I'll start thinking about how windy it is outside or something else I need to pack in my bag for my trip! Its very frustrating! Like for instance right now I should be finishing them up but I decided to write in my blog instead! Ha-ha!  Tomorrow I will finish the exact art of 'bag packing'. We are allowed 20kg of luggage only to take away for two months. This is not an easy task let me tell you! To give you an idea just on shoes I have to take: gym shoes, runners and 2pairs of cycling shoes. These are necessities (you will notice I didn't include high heels!) and they take a good chunk of weight allowance - not to mention I need to take a variety of training kits. On top of that I have a few odds and ends to tie up and make sure I am basically all set to go tomorrow for a Tuesday departure! As I may have mentioned in an earlier blog we travel to America for four weeks to a place called Colorado Springs. We are training on an outdoor 333m track and we are fortunate enough to be staying at the US Olympic Training Centre which I am very excited about. After our stint in America we meet up with the rest of the Aussie team for the Com Games in Aigle, in Switzerland. There we will be riding on an indoor 200m track (a size that I have never ridden on before!). We are there for 2weeks before finally heading over to Delhi in India, where I am told we will be the first Aussie team into the village. Which is exciting because we will get first reign on the kit! The official team is announced this week (hopefully my name is on that list!) and I am looking forward to seeing who else will be donning the green and gold in India! A special mention here to my latest sponsor Selle SMP, who are supplying me with my new saddles. I cant recommend these saddles any more highly. Since I started riding 5years ago I have changed saddles at least every year and finally I have found one which is SO good. Its very comfy and ergonomically designed to accomodate for both males and females. As seen in this picture I am riding the female version of the 'Forma' which is wider in the back (to allow for women with wider pelvic bones like me!) and as you can see it dips down in the middle. This is perfect for me as previously I tended to sit crooked on my seat (mainly because of comfort issues) and this seat doesnt allow this. I love it and I think all cycling enthusiasts should try one! I will regularly update my blog every few days while I am away so keep an eye on my website. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MUM (aka mothership) FOR TOMORROW. I love you to the stars and back : ) Take care all : ) Kaarle For more information on Kaarle McCulloch visit her website - www.kaarlemcculloch.com.au 
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