NEVIS CYCLE & TRIATHLON CLUB

Mendrisio – Switzerland

This was the big day for everyone except us, it was our day off, it was the final race in the week of events, the Mens Road world Championships 2009.

Our day started with a 90km bike ride to lake Como and then around lake Lugano, it was cold but we wrapped up warm, we joined Oscars friends for their usual Sunday jaunt, and it was spectacular! Beautiful lakeside views, epic mountain scenery, and some great climbs.

After this we went to join the rest of the many thousands of spectators that had journeyed to Mendrisio to watch the race, or so we thought! As soon as we arrived at the race course we were inundated with requests for photos and autographs, it was incredible, we had seriously underestimated the power of the Italian press, they had made us celebrities overnight, most especially Reggie and James. Total strangers were calling them by their first names, shoving babies in front of them for photos, groups of friends clamoring to get next to them for a picture, we really could not believe it.

For the next 4hrs as we made our way towards the finish line (we also wanted to watch the big event) the team was posing for pictures or explaining where exactly our country was, we even signed one of the expo booths displays, on the Ridley Cycles booth we had drawn such a crowd he did not want us to leave, saying “I had Filippo Pozzato (pro cyclist) here yesterday and he did not get close to this much attention”
Our jaws dropped.

When we stopped to finally get a little something to eat at one café, we ended up signing copies of the newspaper article, and chatting with the many guests about our team, after this Monica had got us up to the press box where we could watch the race from a good vantage point and we had TV screens as well. The press there took advantage during the lulls in the action getting us to pose for them and commenting on how wonderful our uniforms were.

Once the race was over (Australia’s Cadel Evans won) we got to meet former world champion and Italian cycling hero Paulo Bettini, he was even kind enough to pose with Reggie and James, which really made the day for them. Even on the way home the team was, asked for photos, applauded and greeted so warmly.

It has been an extraordinary, amazing, exciting experience, and we have all the lovely people from the UCI volunteer squad, who made us feel so welcome, the people of Mendrisio and the friends and neighbors of our wonderful hosts the Petroboni’s.