Day 6 at our TEAm Lipton training camp started off on the chilly side. We awoke to forecasts of low thirties, possible snow, and definite wind chill. At least we knew our cheeks would be good and rosy for team pictures that morning. You wouldn't necissarily know we were fit, toned, highly trained professional cyclists after dressing in every piece of Biemme clothing we owned. Luckily the new kit looked sharp, and if anything the bright colors would stand out against the day's grey backdrop. We rode away from the hotel hoping Casey Gibson would still be able to recognize each one of us behind our ear bands, hats, and layers of thermal spandex. We spent a few hours doing our best to hold a pretty eschelon in the stiff crosswinds, smiling and pretending we were Supermodels for the day while shooting our team pictures. I kept reminding the girls that things could be worse and we could be wearing bikinis on a glacier somewhere posing for Sports Illustrated. We all agreed that looking hot while feeling cold was a tough job. Luckily we found some beautiful roads outside Albuquerque to do out photo shoot, complete with snow covered peaks making a spectacular backdrop for our day.

At dinner the evening before, we'd been briefed that our training ride would end somewhere special today. It was all a big secret, with our only hint being we needed to pack a post-ride bag, complete with a change of clothes and a swimsuit. Our curiosities were peaked, as we could not understand why on earth we'd need a swimsuit when the ducks couldn't even swim in the frozen rivers we'd passed over that afternoon.

All our questions were answered when we followed the team car into the sprawling courtyard of the Tamaya Resort and Spa. We hurried inside to the oversizeed couches and roaring fire places, looking forward to thawing out our fingers and toes. Little did we expect an open invitation to the Spa facilities for the afternoon!!

After translating to the Russian riders on Team Navigators that these weren't co-ed facilities (even after they tried valiantly to follow us in), we sped into the luxurious lockeroom. Stripping off cold and sweaty cycling clothes and wrapping up in thick, fluffy robes was absolute heaven. The team and I warmed up from head to toe sipping on hot tea while jumping from hot tub, to dry sauna, to steam room. We all giggled at the fact that likely the men weren't enjoying this nearly as much as us. Our locker room attendant even showed up with a plate of chocolate for us to munch on. We could have stayed there lounging in our robes all night long, but our stomachs were growling and dinner was waiting. I think we all emerged from the Spa with even rosier cheeks than earlier in the day......and definitely with a smile from ear to ear.

The Navigators team and our TEAm dined on a feast of Southwest food (thank goodness it wasn't pasta), with views of the mountains, sunset, and full moon. After an amazing day, our thanks go out again to the Tamaya Resort for a day at training camp I know we will never soon forget.