Transitioning from an amateur racer to a professional team member sometimes seems unreal.

By Phil Gaimon

I’m already having a great time at this race. The support from sponsors, my team and the race organization is pretty unreal.

I loved my team last year, and couldn’t have asked for a better setup and situation for where I was in my career. I got a ton of great equipment, got to all the big races I wanted to and had teammates who will remain my friends for a long time. Still, as great as that was, it’s a pretty big difference now being in the big leagues with big budgets. Here are a few comparisons between my life as an amateur, and my experiences thus far with Jelly Belly.

Team vehicle
2008: used Ford Focus, with no brake pads
2009: an army of Lexus cars and SUVs, an RV, and several drivers

Postrace recovery
2008: Anti-embolism leggings from CVS, ice packs and a massage stick
2009: Jenny Rae and Katie, licensed massage therapists and full-time soigneurs, Champion Systems compression socks and pants

Mechanic
2008: Me
2009: John and Neil, master mechanics with years of experience

Time Trial Clothing
2008: Teammate Matt White’s old cyclocross skinsuit from 2005 or 2006
2009: Champion Systems Ultra High Tech, form-fitting Speed Suit

Casual Clothes
2008: 1 t-shirt, too big on me
2009: So far 15ish t-shirts, tech, polo, and mechanic shirts, jackets, rain coats, pants, hats, beanies, and more I can’t think of

Other Swag
2008: Some luggage, water bottles
2009: Key chains, towels, Frisbees, coffee mugs, hoodies, plus tons of luggage and more water bottles than you could imagine and TONS OF CANDY

That’s just the start of it. It’s going to be a fun year. I just hope the race (and my race personally) matches up to all of this fanfare and buildup. I also hope the weather isn’t as bad as expected.

Last night were team presentations. We got out of the car, walked up the red carpet in our team track suits (picture a scrawny, Euro boyband), schmoozed in a waiting room with most of the other teams for an hour and then stood on the stage as Phil Liggett introduced us. No Lance (or even Astana) sightings yet. They must be staying somewhere else, and traveling in stealth helicopters amidst a sea of reporters.

Tomorrow is the prologue. I haven’t done any TTs this short in a long time. My legs feel good, but I have no clue what to expect, and you’ll probably have to scroll some to find me the in the results. Wish me luck!