14 days!

There's something about the point when you stop counting weeks until the start of the race, and instead, begin counting the days. When it seemed last week like there was plenty of time to tie up loose ends and finalize the details, suddenly you're wondering if you can slow the time down, if not a lot, by just a tiny bit.

The team email list is abuzz with messages about the little things, like how much to pack. "No chick packing, please" was the word from Scrooge who justifiably, is worried about how we're going to fit the luggage of twelve crew members into a small space. Riders and crew are pouring over the 50 pages of rules and studying the penalties that the various teams received last year. We're hoping that going in prepared will help us to avoid making errors that could earn us a penalty.

Food planning has started, which reminds me that I need to ask George again (in an email this time because verbal requests for any of us these days are beyond our capabilities) for a list of things that he wants to chew on. Unlike Rick, who plans to fuel mainly with liquids and some fruit here and there, George likes to chew when he's off the bike. I have a good idea of what he likes to eat most of the time, but in case there's some obscure thing that he'll be craving at 3:00 a.m. in the middle of Kansas, it will be nice to have it on hand instead of sending crew members searching for it.

I would like to thank everyone for checking in with us on the blog. The plan is for daily updates up to and during the race, whenever possible. There may be a lag this weekend when we're up riding the Eastern Sierra Double Century, but I will post upon my return. During the race, updates will be at least daily, if not more often and will include pictures from along the way. The support that we have received for the team so far has made a huge impact and we want to share this journey with you.