[Written by Sam Schultz for www.samschultzracing.com]

If I would have known how incredible the Olympics are I would have been way more stressed about making the team.  Everything has blown me away so far!  I don’t know where to begin so I’ll just start dropping in some pictures (that don’t come even close to capturing the awesome-ness).

The Athlete Village is like a miniature city (or a big city by Montana standards).  I still have no idea how to find my way and spend my time walking around in a perpetual state of confusion and awe.  It’s amazing being surrounded by so many incredible athletes.

I was greeted with more “Team USA” gear than you could imagine.  I think I tripled my wardrobe.

The dining hall is impressive.  There are sections with all types of food; from British, to Chinese, to Indian, to Jamaican…and even a huge McDonalds in one corner.

It’s about an hour bus ride from the village to the mountain bike venue at Hadleigh Farm in Essex.  The buses have been empty and it’s a relaxing ride.

The course is completely dialed and is riding really well.  It’s so fun I can’t stop doing laps.  There will be some suffering going on out there on Sunday though…

The security here is completely crazy.  It’s like airport security x 100.  There are very limited staff credentials so I have been high-fiving my Subaru-Trek team staff outside the gates.  Luckily USA Cycling has been taking great care of me.  MattO is working for team Canada and is looking good in his “Oh Canada” attire while Dusty is here cheering on his wife, Georgia Gould.

Tower bridge is super cool with the rings attached and Oakley did it up right by setting up a mind blowing “safehouse” for their athletes.  It includes a patio overlooking the bridge, 5 star chefs, huge TVs, and of course some awesome custom glasses.

Well that’s about all I’ve got for now.  Dinner time…