Coffee in Switzerland

It is almost as good as the chocolate, not quite, but almost. Here I am sipping a fresh cup (courtesy of Sandra) and enjoying the view of the Swiss Alps. The mountains here are steep, with roads and villages built right into the mountainsides. Beautiful and picturesque Switzerland.

The race course here is great. Lots of steep chutes, rooty singletrack and steep rocky descents. It is a short lap though, at about 4km, so lap times will be quick. So far things are dry, with only a few damp sections. The forecast is for showers, so we see how how the course holds up. I did a couple of laps today on the new lime green Sub 5, by Xprezo. It was great to be on 100mm of travel (front and rear), on the loose rocky descents. Totaly enjoyable.

There is a strong Canadian contingent here, with 12 racers on the National Team project, four on the Canadian Privateer project organized by Sandra, all of those in addition to those racing with trade teams.

Sandra here, gruezi from Switzerland! It's so nice to be back in my second home country. I arrived here a few days earlier, so I had time to visit my aunt and uncle (who will be coming out to cheer on their favourite Canadians on Sunday) and spend time with my grandparents. I also rode around my old haunts and took advantage of the stellar weather and beautiful views. I picked up my fellow Canadian "privateers" at the airport yesterday and we drove down to Champery, race venue of World Cup #7 this Sunday. We are staying in a homey condo with a view of the imposing Dents du Midi. I'm lovin' being the tour guide here and tasting the plethora of yogurt flavours, chocolates and cheeses. Ah, culinary heaven!

I'm pretty pumped for the race. As Jean Ann mentioned, the course is a blast, with all its twists and turns in the mossy singletrack in the woods. That's it for now. More after the race.....