Fresh Squeezed in Samaipata

Another Update on Nathaniel's trip to Europe

Nathaniel's trip to Europe with the U.S. National team didn't quite go as well he would have hoped. No doubt he had a great time getting to know his teammates and traveling a bit in Europe, but the hard crash in Belgium did not set him up well for the rest of his races. His road rash and the cuts on his hands became infected making it difficult to grip the handlebars and it seemed to cause his fitness to take a tumble. After the stage race in the Czech Republic, he and his did team did another three-day stage race in Germany. Nathaniel got caught up in a crash in the first road stage and his rear wheel was toast. After he finally got a wheel change he was not able to get back into the peloton and ended up finishing the stage in the broom wagon. Of course, because he did not finish, he wasn't able to go on to the next stage. And that was it. He never really got so show his talent in Europe. Hopefully, he will be able to recoup some fitness for the summer races in the U.S. He is doing a three-day stage race in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky this weekend, and then will be headed to the national championships in Bend, OR with several of his teammates.