Back In Europe

It doesn't get more Euro than this (lobby of my hotel).
So I'm back in Europe. Seems like I never left. And it's nice to be back.

My trip out of Omaha was a bit hectic. Lots of errand-running (thanks, mom!) and then a delayed flight as we sat on the tarmac for 22 minutes waiting for other planes overhead to clear. When I got to Chicago, I didn't have much time. About 25 minutes to make my connection, in fact. But I made it – and even managed to get an important e-mail sent out.

That important e-mail distribution was kind of funny, actually. I had to rush to send it and they were already boarding. They had done a "final boarding call" and I was still waiting for the distribution to wrap. But the friendly gate attendant asked to see my boarding pass and said I had "plenty of time." And get this – she even switched me to a row where no one was sitting next to me. Wow. Fantastic. I love United Airlines.

Though the pilot didn't turn on Channel 9 (so you can listen to cockpit communications), the flight was good - and short. Only a little more than seven hours. I ate dinner (even had time to watch "Spinal Tap"), then went to sleep. It wasn't entirely uninterrupted sleep, though. We had a lot of turbulence and I needed to go to the restroom somewhere over Ireland. But everything else went well. There were even some Americans going to the race, which always makes it fun because they knew all about the BMC Racing Team.

Speaking of knowing about the team, the border patrol agent asked me about the nature of my travel. I told him I was here for a "bike race" - thinking he wouldn't have a clue. "The Tour of Flanders?", he asked. Wow. Not only did this guy know, but he knew all about Greg Van Avermaet (the Belgian rider on the team) and the BMC Racing Team. Only in Belgium, right? It's a cycling crazy country. Think Nebraska football for Nebraskans.

Following an hour-long drive to the hotel, I had lunch, followed by some interviews to moderate (one with Alessandro Ballan show at right). Everything up to this point has gone smoothly. Let's hope it continues.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is supposed to be extremely warm (up to 25 Celsius, which is about 70 degrees Fahrenheit) and sunny. But get ready for Sunday: rain, cold, wind. That should be epic. And yes, I did pack my own rain jacket this time.

Notebook:
- Best moment of the flight? When the purser came on this morning and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning. We will soon be landing in London. Please begin stowing away your electronic devices. (pause) And happy April Fool's Day."

- My room is huge. Seriously. But there's a lot of wasted space, too. And only two outlets (one in the main room, one in the bathroom). But there is (good) wifi.

- Here's a look outside my room. The city where we're staying (Kortrijk) is actually where Greg LeMond lived for most of his cycling career. I haven't seen much more of the city than what you see here. And that's usually how it goes. I do know that our truck is parked out back and that we are one of two teams staying here (Lampre is the other one).

- It might have still been March, but the movies were already switched over to April on the plane. We didn't have a guide, though, so it was a matter of trying to figure out what was on each of the nine channels. One had the "Tron" sequel, but I've seen that movie three times already.

A look at my room.

The invitation on the right is for "Americans only," according to the hotel.

My "Belgian phone" which was issued upon my arrival.

Parking passes in the car, leftover from the race that ended yesterday.

Julia won't be getting a key card from this hotel.

The pool area has a dungeon-like feel to it.

Julia, the restroom has its own room.