Updates From the Road

Test Italy

We just left the new track in Cesana , Italy that will be used for the Olympics.  It is brand new.  We were the first doubles sled down and the first sled ever off of the ladies start.  It is an interesting track. It feels like it will improve as track crew learns more and has more time to work on the ice.

We were invited to the homologation (some strange word that means certification) along with a few other sleds from different countries.  The Italian team was there, us, one Slovakian, one Latvian, one Russian, one German and an Austrian doubles sled.  Bob sled and skeleton were also there. 

We only brought our doubles sled and it was clear after walking the track that it was a mistake to not have our singles sleds with us.  We were able to barrow two of the most ill fitting singles sleds for the first couple of runs.  My sled was built for someone about five feet tall, and it was too narrow for both me and my arms to fit into at the same time.  I was fifth off, fallowing Mark on his hunk of junk sled.  When I lay down at the start the other athletes who were standing around started to laugh how well I fit into, or on top of the sled.  I wasn’t thrilled about firing my self down a new track at which I could hardly remember which way the curves went, on this sled.  We were starting at curve five which leads into a flat section of the track so the speed was slow and I had a lot of time to think about how badly I fit the sled.  It went all right, I made it down with no problems.

We took our next run from the top of curve three because the start ramp at ladies wasn’t ready.  There wasn’t enough ice and concrete was showing through in several spots.  More speed helped things out a bit and I was able to enjoy the ride despite the size of my sled. 

Mark was as uncomfortable as I was and even though he had hit hard out of seventeen doubles sounded better than another ride on that sled.  We went back down to curve five and took off like a bat out of hell.  We must have been doing five kilometers per hour trough six, seven, but there is a good drop in curve fourteen and we picked up a lot of speed to the finish. 

Day two ladies start was ready more or less.  There was still no ice on the side walls.  The start drops fast through one curve before joining the track at curve four.  The initial bust of speed form the ramp carries you through the top flat section of the track at a fast pace. Curve eight builds some more speed before nine which takes it all away.  Twelve and thirteen are just two wiggles in a straight away before fourteen which turns over sharply and dives downhill.  The acceleration is huge and fifteen is just as steep.  It fires you at speed into the final section of track; seventeen, eighteen and nineteen.  Seventeen may prove to be the hardest curve on the track, and it is the first of three lefts before the finish light.  The bottom section isn’t the only combination of curves that turn the same direction, six, seven, eight are rights and there are other double rights and lefts. 

The added speed from the top was great.  With no start handles our time was just over 50 seconds.  I am sure that the time will come down several second before the Olympics.  For now we are the track record holders.  Being first has its privileges.  The Austrians came up to ladies start on the second run and now have the distinction of being the first to crash.  We had tree good runs and now have a lot of information to digest, not just the memories but about a hundred photos and video.  It was a great ride and I am glad that I was given the privilege of testing the track.