Augsburg

As Spain finishes celebrating their World Cup soccer victory and France prepares for the Tour to begin, Germany is hosting the Welt Cup kayaking race this weekend in Augsburg. The course, built for the 1972 Olympics, is one of the first man-made kayaking courses ever constructed, a concrete channel branching off from the main river and winding its way through the park-like spectator seating area before rejoining the river again farther downstream. Kayakers from all over the world have gathered for their final chance to make the Olympic team in Beijing, and although everyone is friendly, tension is tangible. Today is the last day before the 3-day race starts tomorrow, so everyone is trying to get in one final workout before weighing their boats, getting their official numbers and time slots, and waiting for the paddling to begin. Having only ever tried kayaking myself a couple of times, in the relative comfort of a swimming pool or a lake, I can barely begin to appreciate the incredible skill required to maneuver a boat up and down-stream through whitewater foaming around randomly placed slalom gates. I can't even paddle in a straight line and keep my boat from flipping over, and yesterday, when my kayaking friend Zuzana convinced me to take a swim with her through part of the course (right under the 'Baden Verboten!' sign), I thought I might drown. Watching the kayaking race is enough excitement for me - I'll stick to bike riding myself!