This is the first in a series of occasional reports from Australian rider Nathan Russell, who has taken the plunge - coming to the United States for the first time for a season of racing. Accompanying him is his fiancee Veronica.

Nathan and Veronica will be filling us in on their racing and other adventures this season...

Related Articles:
Redlands Bicycle Classic Preview
A View from the Peloton in Perth

Nathan's Report: 2 April 2003

Well, what a week. We arrive in LA to the 30 degrees sunshine we all know and love, blah blah blah.

I think we have met the top 10 winners of the nice people awards in LA...not the Grammys. So me and V. swoop into the lifestyle ever so smoothly except for Veronica on the bike at intersections, wrong side of the road, etc.

Food: Mexicana - yeah yeah, most days it's good; it's cheap - yum.

Mum, love love love ya.

The first race after arriving 4 days earlier was on the Irwindale Raceway (see pics); not a huge one but plenty of starters from Schroeder which is a pro 1 team. Got 2nd and check out the pins on the guy. Before you hear it from anyone else, yes I did throw the bike at the wrong line. I am not a Nascar.

Irwindale GP - March 30, 2003, Claremont, California
Results:
1 - Mike Tillman - Schroeder Iron
2 - Nathan Russell - Minute Maid/Dasani/La Grange
3 - Leigh Palmer - Lemond Fitness
4 - Edgar Yepez - LA Wings/Specialized
5 - Joseph Chapman - Lemond Fitness
6 - Evan Teske - Schroeder Iron
7 - Marco Antonio Rios - RPM/Zombies
8 - Gregg Mendenilla - Monex
9 - Mark Scott - Labor Power
10 - Miguel Meza - Schroeder Iron

Irwindale GP

[Click for larger images]

Irwindale Podium - Tillman 1st, Russell 2nd, Palmer 3rd

Drove a pick up on the freeway today...yeah,  exactly. Veronica wouldn’t get in with me, so a bag of Cheetohs later and we were off. Stayed sober so far.

Started Redlands yesterday, more horse power here than at the summernats?! Holding my head up so far. 170k tomorrow - happy happy, joy joy. (Nathan finished 46th in the 172 km Oak Glen Road Race.)

Veronica is superdooperkalafradjalistic-espi-aladocious, go on sing it. Can’t tell you all how good it is to have her here, bloody tops. Yanks love the term "stunned mullet” - try and explain that one. Tonight we sleep on a bed that is 90 years old and is wheeled out from the wall - wicked!

Stay tuned to the bat channel for Veronica’s version.

Thanks to Schroeder Iron for the Irwindale GP results. Photos by Veronica Bates.

Update

We heard from Greg Wheeler of Colavita Bolla, Nathan's team for this season, who adds the following:

I'm working on locating a translation tool for you (for Nathan's jargon) -  I'll let you know if I find something...

Nathan will only be drinking that Minute Maid orange juice temporarily out in California. We'll have him on the hard stuff, the Bolla Wine, soon enough, once he heads east to join us. [Editor's Note: So much for Nathan staying sober then...]

We have a few riders on loan at Redlands at the moment (not only Nathan, but Karl Bordine and Ashley Kimmett on the women's side), but we'll have them all back in Colavita-Bolla colors soon enough! Looking out my office window at the moment, with the threat of a wintry mix in the forecast for tonight, I'd say they have the right idea racing in California!