Darn Rabobank

I tried with all my might to get luggage into the truck and onto the road as fast as possible. Fast so I can beat traffic (race team traffic) to Columbus, our next hotel for the Tour of Georgia.
I arrived at the next hotel knowing Dave B (soigneur — hotel duty) will be there well before me with the layout of the land (power and water and best parking spot). I had hoped to be there first with luggage. Well, the darn Dutch Rabobank team got me again as they got there before me in Macon yesterday.
To their advantage is they have no team truck. They do have a race provided Dodge Sprinter which is a tall cargo van great for transporting luggage daily. Taller than many mini vans and a little longer. Not as long as some big vans but this is a perfect vehicle. Some teams in Europe use them like a small team truck. Storing bikes on one side/wall and wheels on the other. Very efficient space wise versus speed of the vehicle. Because they use this as the luggage vehicle it is much faster than my put-put truck. On some of these rural roads, I can barely manage 50 or 55. The Rabobank team can do much better and thus have an easy time getting to the hotel before I do.
Yesterday I talked about being third (podium) to the hotel in Macon. Third as far as truck/trailers go. But the darn Rabobank team was there first yesterday also (with luggage). But I have not been counting them as their Dodge Sprinter does just that. Sprint.
So I guess I better reevaluate the podium yesterday (Macon, Ga.)
1st Rabobank – Dodge Sprinter
2nd 7-Up – Van/trailer
3rd Prime Alliance – Truck
4th USPS – Truck
So in reality in yesterdays Podium, I was 4th overall but made the podium in the truck/trailer category.
Note: I’m not sure who was 2nd or 3rd actually. I place them based upon how they were parked in the lot. You could only go into the lot one way and 7-Up was parked at the far end (closed end of lot) and Prime Alliance was behind them.
Today’s Podium (Columbus, Ga.)
1st Rabobank – Dodge Sprinter
2nd USPS – Truck (First in the team truck category)
3rd Saturn – Truck (largest team truck here at the Tour of Georgia)
Note: As I said before not all teams stay at the same hotel each day. So, the podium at my hotel can be made up of different teams each day. We will be in 6 hotels for this race. Three of those days the hotel will be occupied by all teams. The other days the teams will be spread out between 3 or 4 hotels.
Oh yeah, there is a bike race too. But, I’m not sure of the results in that part or the tour of Georgia.
What do the team staff do when we get situated and have to wait for the riders to arrive so we can work? Asphalt rugby. Someone had a football that was pretty darn flat. So we called it a Rugby ball and had a simple/impromptu gave.
The game was between Dave B, myself (both USPS) and Chad (7-UP)

Score:
USPS/7-UP ———————4
Prime Alliance/Saturn——–2