Colombians and Intriguing Cyclist #1

Blogging sometimes becomes a difficult task. I've written home about most of my initial reactions and have tried to look for cultural details and share anecdotes about my day. I wonder, what would you readers like to hear about? Have I ignored an aspect of life here or failed to delve deeply into another? Let me know what you think!

As for work today, I watched the Colombian cyclists train. They were all about business, the four riders circling the track for maybe an hour at a fast speed and in a tight line formation. Every few minutes, the leading rider would move to the outer track area, slow down, and move to the position of fourth rider behind his other teammates. I believe the training prepares the cyclists for the Team Pursuit event, in which four riders circle the track in line, the leading rider dropping to the back intermittently to take advantage of the lack of aerodynamic turbulence to regain his strength. Check out the video below for an illustration.

Cyclists from Uruguay also trained this afternoon. A few FQRs attempted to interview them. The cyclists hesitated to speak with American reporters, but eventually offered a few statements.

So far, I have yet to see any of the track cyclists who intrigue me most. At the moment, Rebecca Romero of Great Britain holds my attention, likely because I have a special place in my heart for rowers. Romero won a silver medal in rowing at Athens. "Disillusioned with rowing," she planned to retire from the sport and pursue a career in marketing when a British coach approached her about cycling. She dominated tryouts for the sport and soon found herself reigning as World Champion in the Team and Individual Pursuit races. If she medals here in Beijing, she will become the first British woman to win Olympic medals in two different sports.

Tomorrow, the number of countries represented at the Velodrome should increase. Check back then for details about additional athletes I admire and others I see circling the track in my midst.