Slash And Burn

A little cosmetic work was done my backpack today, courtesy of mechanic Aaron Fairley.

Molta Bene

This mug of mint hot chocolate was pretty amazing, as recommended by Jackson Stewart.

The food at training camp has been fabulous. BMC Racing Team's new chef, Massimo Carolo, served up some incredibly delicious meals. Unfortunately, despite running/walking nearly daily and trying to eat healthy, the pounds just aren't coming off. At least not at this camp.

Here's a sampling of the cuisine:

Lots of vegetables and a little pasta.

The chicken pieces were very tender.

Yes, that's risotto next to the pasta.

I really like the tomatoes with cheese (lower right).

There's some potatoes hiding under all that salad.

Dessert was amazing. Most days, I tried to steer clear of it.

Maybe the beans are keeping me from shedding pounds. There they are again.

And one more shot of desert.

As Seen On My Run

I pass this railroad crossing daily on my training run.

A nice view of the houses nestled on the nearby mountain.

Live Chat With Brent

Here's the photo taken right from the BMC Racing Team's Twitter feed.

Brent Bookwalter was first to give the BMC Racing Team's live chat a go. I've been wanting to use "Cover it Live" again since my days of Team Type 1 (from 2008 or 2009) and using it for live race coverage.

Brent did a fabulous job and the nearly 80 people who participated seemed to come away with a positive experience. We did it at 9 o'clock in the evening to try to get the U.S. audience at work.

An added bonus of "Cover it Live" is that you can replay the chat anytime afterwards. Take a look.

Busy Nights

It looks serene, but nights are equally as busy as the days at training camp.

There's always a lot going on at training camp. And nights are no exception. I usually have a planning meeting at six or seven o'clock, followed by the drafting of the next day's schedule. Then there's the approval process. Ultimately, I try to get the next day's schedule out before the riders are finished with their dinner. And dinner doesn't begin for riders until 8. (Staff eats a half-hour later.)

On this night, the NHL All-Star game was playing in the lobby, more than 24 hours after it happened.

A look at part of one of our daily schedule e-mails. Click to enlarge.

As Seen On SnapChat

This made me smile. And I met Captain Kangaroo in Kearney in 1985.

My View From The Marriott

My view off the third floor balcony.

Fun With Jib Jab

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

First Meal At The Marriott

The BMC Racing Team's new (Italian) chef really knows how to do things up right.

Heading Back To Spain

This scene in Atlanta reminded me of the "Up in the Air" promo photo.

There is nothing "typical" about travel to Europe. But my trip Wednesday into Thursday was pretty smooth.

My new backpack was ready.

I was able to enjoy first class travel on my flight to Atlanta. There, I enjoyed some time in the Delta lounge, something now permitted when traveling on an international ticket. I made a good decision to eat before the flight, as it turned out to be an Air France flight for the trip over the pond. That means three things: no "economy comfort" seating in the first four rows of economy, meals that are not as good as on a Delta flight and a movie/music selection that is not as extensive.

I did enjoy the company of a gentlemen from Annapolis – Mitul – who was on his way to India. A self-proclaimed "idea guy," we had some very interesting conversations. I'm going to keep in touch. And if you see a bike race taking place on the deck of an aircraft carrier or a barge or other large boat, that was originally his idea...

On to the photos:

I ate here last month before my trip to Spain. Couldn't pass it up this time.

Mitul and I posed by this athletic "teamwork" photo at Charles De Galle airport.

It was a very cold morning in Paris. The jetway was absolutely frigid.

Oops!

Veronica got a little surprise from the silly string.

Fortunately, it didn't get in her eyes.

Breakfast For Dinner

The girls proudly show off the dinner they made: scrambled eggs, hash browns and toast.

Tuesday Tidbits

I found this photo of Lauren on my phone.

Lauren and I made a morning trip to the orthodontist.

The afternoon pick-up of Veronica came on my last day at home for a month.

Paper Airplane Throwing Contest

Veronica shows off the three paper airplanes she made.

The weather was nice enough to enjoy some time outdoors today. Though not particularly warm, there was a nice north breeze blowing. And that made for perfect conditions for our first paper airplane throwing contest of the year.

See below for photos of all the respective aircraft that participated (Emily was at a friend's house), as well as a pair of videos that captured (nearly) all of the action. You'll have to ask Julia what "Sain Air" means. (Hint: It is a play off of Sean's first name.)

Veronica's plane – Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 – went missing shortly after this photo was taken.

Lauren had a BMC Racing Team-themed aircraft.

This was Sean's second plane – and it stayed up in the air a long time.

Olivia had quite the needle-nosed craft (complete with Rudolph-themed tip).

Lauren's second plane was equally as artistic as the first – but not very "air-tastic."

Add Veronica's Malaysia Airlines Flights 371 and 373 to the list of planes that went missing.

We're not sure what "The Prison Airplane" is all about. You'll have to ask Lauren.

Julia made this amazing plane after watching a YouTube video. It flew nearly 50 feet.

Veronica In Pencil

The girl who lives in a basement apartment drew this of Veronica. Wow!

Watching Laura Cook

There was a huge crowd for this crosstown showdown with Papillion-LaVista South.

The best laid plans...

Remember my recent trip to Mercy High School to watch one of my former St. Mary's of Bellevue basketball players, Emma Duman?

Posing with Laura outside the lockerroom.

Tonight, Julia and Olivia and me (just like last time) drove up 84th street to Papillion-LaVista High School to watch the only other player still active, Laura Cook.

We arrived early enough to look for Laura in warm-ups. While I was searching for her uniform number (22), Julia had no problem spotting her. "She's the one in the black T-shirt, Dad," Julia told me.

Um, yeah. She was in a black T-shirt. And black pants. Not warm-up gear. It was immediately – and painfully – obvious she was not suited up to play.

We would later learn Laura suffered her fourth(!) concussion recently at the Westside game. (One that we almost went to last weekend.) So she's out for now. In speaking with her after the game, I learned she will be going to Iowa Western to play soccer. I told her parents that this marked the first time I had been to a game where she hadn't played. She was our best player and helped us win quite a few games.

Thank You, Aksarben Cinema!

Olivia created this amazing thank you card.

We love Aksarben Cinema.

So many fun events and movies have been part of our lives there since the theater opened four years ago. So annually, we thank the Barstows for providing such an amazing facility.

Olivia did the honors this year when it came to creating a nice homemade card. She even made a nice graphic for the back (seen at right - click to enlarge). Thanks, Olivia!

What Is This?

I found this guy on my mirror. No idea who he is.

Veronica's Morning Routine

Veronica poses in front of her favorite morning TV show, "Doc McStuffins."

Thanks, Olivia!

Olivia worked her magic tonight so we could have pasta and chicken.

Olivia is our "chicken cutting" expert.

As the story goes, Dad wasn't sure how to "fix" chicken so all the fat is gone. So he called up Grandma YD one time. As the girls listened in, she told him she wasn't quite sure how to do it because you first have to "take off all the feathers." Huh?

Anyway, Olivia volunteered to try her hand at cutting all the fat off and nasty parts off. And she did a wonderful job. So now she's our chicken cutting expert.

Thanks, Olivia!

Get Well Soon, Julia!

A fever kept Julia home from school today.

Bone-Chilling Start

I don't know about the wind chill. This is cold enough.

Central High Open House

Lauren pointed out her pottery that was on display in the art room.

Julia was invited to attend an open house for eighth graders at Central High School today. But there was one problem: she didn't want to go. Well, she didn't want to go if Lauren went.

I told Julia having Lauren tag along was to her advantage. Lauren is the "known commodity" there and Emily was not able to attend since she was at work.

Even though the temperature was below 10 degrees, Julia insisted on staying in the van when we got there (and it was not going to be running!). So Lauren and I went in and looked around. After making the rounds to see a few coaches and teachers, we returned to the van and gave Julia one more chance to go inside. This time, she did and everything went well. She got to see the art department and talk to a few teachers.

Emily had some pottery on display.

This is pretty cool. Good job, Emily!