She's Quite The Reader

Grandma Weide wanted to see video of Veronica reading.
Here she is on Christmas Day.

European Trip: Random Thoughts

Random thoughts while I watch the women's cyclocross world championships:

• I've seen the movie, "Salt" twice now (both times returning from Europe on Delta) and really liked it. I couldn't remember how it ended until I saw it the second time.
• You always miss the little things in Europe: microwave popcorn (though I brought some this time), being able to watch more than two channels on TV that are in English, Walgreen's (for photo developing).
• They didn't make me take my shoes off going through security in Paris. Hmm.
• Always like catching up to Dr. Max Testa and hearing his stories of races gone by. If I headlined a story, "Were Hampsten and Alcala Poisoned Before '87 Tour Stage?" would that get your attention? That was an interesting story, to say the least.
• I learned a new trick to get my own empty row on European flights – board last. So, instead of sitting in the row I was supposed to, I 1) checked to see who I was supposed to be sitting next to; 2) looked for an open two-seat row. There was one – all the way in the back. At first, I was worried the seats wouldn't recline (they don't always), but they did. So I made myself at home back there. Another nicety of sitting in the back? Having the restroom right behind you.
• I don't normally like Delta, but "Nemo" (real name Alexis) took care of me. She was the flight attendant who left stuff on the seat next to me while I was sleeping so I wouldn't miss it. She even offered me ice cream as we were landing because I had missed it. Here we were, less than 10 minutes from landing and she's offering me ice cream.
• Team Type 1 has a bus? http://yfrog.com/h2vdhqj You had to know that was coming, but it's a physical sign of how much that team has stepped up.
• Have you heard the Jacksons' song, "Can You Feel It?" I heard it on an 80s radio station online and couldn't recall it from its original release. But I liked it so much, I downloaded it. In two days, I've listened to it 75 times (as of this writing).
• Why did my apartment smell like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies when I came home? And where is my iPod? I know I had it on the drive home from the airport.

BMC Racing Team Presentation Video

It wasn't that many years ago that I was making
the same type of video for Team Kaos.

Latest Standings

Heading into a tough game today against Sacred Heart.

Work, Work, Work

I am here to do work for the BMC Racing Team, despite all the pictures of sunny skies, glorious blue swimming pools and a stay at a luxurious hotel. Here's a glimpse of some of my day.

Every night, the riders are autographing 15 jerseys.

Some serious faces before the day's training ride.

Lots of red and black. Lots.

Trudi Rebsamen (right) monitors the NU-KU hoops game.

Training Camp, Day 1 ... And My Lost Bag

Remember that tight connection in Minneapolis?

I made it. My luggage did not.

So, just like when I was here in Spain in December, I was without my luggage. But this time I was ready. And little did I know I was even more prepared for not having a full wardrobe than I thought. That's because when I checked into my room the suitcase at right was waiting for me. And it was fully stocked with new clothing. Cool, huh?

Casual clothing by lululemon. Very nice.

And some cold weather gear I won't need right away.

Life Around The Hotel

Postcard-perfect shot of the pool at the Denia Marriott.
This is my second stay at the Denia Marriott in two months. I know the hotel staff, the food, the way to and from the two airports that are within 90 minutes of it and I know that my phone and Internet in my room aren't working. (That's why I am typing this in the lobby.)

Perhaps most interesting is the eclectic mix of people who come through the hotel for events, brunch, live music – and dance lessons – and to play golf. I've seen bad facelifts, super short skirts, small children up well after 1 a.m. and a junior group of Spanish golfers that ran through the hallways enough to make fraternity houses seem tame. It's all good, though.

The girls will love how small the coffee cups are here.

Check out the low-hanging clouds.

Looking through the screen at the driving range.

I actually enjoyed a cheeseburger from the bar upon arrival.

First Trip On The Bus

My first look at the bus I'd heard so much about.
Throughout 2010, I would frequently call riders and staff members of the BMC Racing Team after races. At least 90 percent of the time, they would be "in the bus." Sometimes this meant they couldn't talk to me. Other times, they said they could reply by e-mail because the bus had wi-fi.

So what a nice surprise it was to finally see – and ride on – the BMC Racing Team bus on my way from the airport to the hotel. It's really nice inside. And I heard today that the team is having a new bus built for the 2011 season. Nice.

A nice touch on the seat backs.

Todd Herriott (right) caught a few winks while
Carrie Needham read my Christmas letter.

Heading Out

The plane (at Eppley) we waited for to arrive from Minneapolis.
There is always so much to do when you know you're going out of town for more than a couple days. In my case, it seemed to be a race against the clock all the way down to the trip to the airport. It's also a good thing I double-checked my Omaha departure time because it was about 30 minutes sooner than I thought.

My rush to the airport (thanks for the lift, mom) was all for naught as the plane coming from Minneapolis was late. Snow in "MPS" meant my flight to the Twin Cities was about a half-hour late taking off form Omaha. We made up some time in the air, but it was hardly enough to ease my fears of not making my connection. Once off the plane, it was a brisk walk to the connecting gate and boarding my international flight to Paris. I made it with 15 minutes to spare.

Perhaps most interesting of the entire trans-Atlantic experience was 1) no filling out a customs card on the flight; and, 2) no questions in Paris about what I was going to do in Europe.

The flight to Minneapolis was full.

We had to de-ice before take off from Minneapolis.

Not sure what the green liquid is. Probably cancer-causing.

Once up in the air, we were greeted by sunny skies.

I told my mom I'd take a picture of dinner. It was good.

I tried to get a picture of this last time I was in Paris.

Compare this shot over Paris...

...to one taken just before landing in Valencia.


Check out how empty my flight was from Paris to Valencia.

Don't know if you can see it, but I got off the plane in the back.

Looking Ahead...

I'll soon be trading the temperature below for the one above

Cotton Candy!

Olivia spins while Veronica (left) and Julia wait for it.
Did we mention that Uncle Neil and Theresa got us a cotton candy machine for Christmas?

Well, we broke it out yesterday. What a treat to be able to make cotton candy right in our kitchen! First, there was the business of writing a thank you note (pictured at right).

This machine is unique to a conventional cotton candy maker in that it uses Jolly Rancher (or another hard candy) to make the spun sugar treat. It's pretty interesting and makes for some good clean-up afterward. Fortunately, Olivia took on that task and we made quick work of it.

Where Things Stand

How Emily's basketball team is doing (BSM) in the standings.

Snow Day = Afternoon Movie

Veronica isn't sleeping – just trying to avoid the flash.
For the second straight day, the girls didn't have school. A slow-moving storm dumped about nine inches of snow between Sunday and Monday, which meant neighborhood streets were slow to be cleared.

So instead of picking up the girls after school, I got to pick them up at noon. We had lunch (Jack's pizza – remind me to get TWO pepperoni pizzas next time), then headed down to Aksarben Cinema to see "Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." This was actually our second straight Tuesday afternoon movie experience. (Last week, we saw "Yogi Bear.")

I've never seen any of the "Narnia" movies. So I was a little lost. (I'm guessing a couple of the other girls were as well.) But there was action, some cool special effects – and it was in 3D. So there you go. Did I mention Tuesdays are also $1 popcorn and $1 pop days? That was probably the best part. (Thanks, Grandma YD, for helping with that part.)

The Return

The view from above near Salt Lake City.

This is what greeted me when I arrived at Eppley Airfield.

The Busy Day

This was my first glimpse of Taylor Phinney this year.
So today was an incredibly busy day. I'll only hit the highlights here because I'm short on time. But overall, it will go down as one of my most productive and most enjoyable road trips of all time. (Others: Tyler Hamilton ESPN.com interview in Boulder, 2008 trip to the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and the 2008 Tour of Britain).

Church at St. Anthony's was certainly memorable. They asked visitors to stand before mass. I acted like I didn't hear them. (I also ignored the people looking at me.) I later wondered what they would have done had I stood up.

The velodrome session at the Home Depot Center/ADT Events Center (or whatever they call it) was awesome. I've seen photos and watched webcasts of the track, but had never been to the facility. It is awesome. And USA Cycling does a great job of not letting you know that volleyball and basketball courts are located on the infield and time is rented out to youth teams. It was quite a sight, watching one of the world's top track cyclists (Taylor Phinne) spin around the track while a bunch of parents cheered on their kids, not knowing the "Michael Jordan of cycling" was in their midst.

Other observations: The banking is really steep. Track racing is cool to watch. Roger Young is the best at what he does when it comes to training track riders.

My one regret on the day: That I didn't get a photo of a surfer dude walking down the street upon my arrival in Marina del Ray. The beach was less than 100 meters from the street, yet I didn't take a moment to check it out. Yep, now I regret it. I'm also going to miss the 60 degree temperatures when I get back to Omaha.

These guys were in front of me on the way to Marina del Ray.

NFL playoff games are on early on Sunday nights in California.

Taylor and his father, Davis, being interviewed by Nick Heil.

Yep, basketball and volleyball courts are on the infield.


Some of Greg LeMond's jerseys and bikes are on display.


A tribute to the Olympic velodrome is also on display.

The Arrival

My hotel room (read: office) at the Courtyard Marriott.
So my quick trip to Los Angeles (and much warmer weather) is underway. I arrived at my hotel after a positive experience at the rental car office. Life lesson for the YD girls: Renting from a "no-name" brand is often good for a couple reasons. Prices are low. The airport shuttle is always empty. The line at the rental counter is always non-existent.

My hotel is located in a massive office park area near the Los Angeles Air Force Base (which I didn't know existed). On weekdays, I'm sure it's a bustling, traffic-snarled area. But on weekends, it would be the perfect place to shoot an "what-happened-after-the-atomic-bomb-went-off" movie. The wide, four-lane roads were completely empty. Parking lots absolutely deserted. No sign of life anywhere (but my hotel). It was pretty strange.

The other nice things (besides what's pictured below): Easy access to the airport, to the freeway, to church (about eight minutes away) and to plenty of restaurants (though I only ate twice). Plus, the breakfast buffet at the hotel lobby was terrific. The downside: Cell phone service seemed to be spotty.

Saw this in the online photo gallery and had to take my own photo.

The pool was smaller than it looked in pictures.

I would have loved to have shot hoops here. No time.

My rental car had Washington plates. Strange.