On My Way To Italy

This outdoor deck of the Delta lounge at JFK was amazing.

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.

This Is Depressing

Until carryover mileage is figured, this is what my account looks like.

Compare the above to my final statement for 2014.

Travel Home From Spain

Delta got me from Paris to Detroit to Omaha ... but not my bags.

It seems getting home from a trip to Europe is never easy. And when you are traveling near the holidays, it becomes even more complicated.

Today's venture home started off OK. I actually got a good (five hours) amount of sleep at the Valencia airport hotel before heading out at 5:45 a.m. Thanks to the tiny taxis in use there, my travel party of three (Ted McDonald and Amaël Moinard were also making the flight to Paris with me) was immediately split up. But I waited for Ted outside the terminal so he could check in with me, like last year.

Even arriving more than an hour before my flight, I sensed things weren't going to go as planned. For starters, the line to check-in was long. Thankfully, I have Sky Priority status. The line at security was equally as long – and there I had no Sky Priority line to speed me through. In fact, Amaël arrived much later than Ted and me and took a different line to breeze through before us.

Our flight took off more than an hour behind schedule, turning my one-hour-and-50-minute layover into one much tighter. And that's where my bags must have had a problem. Because when I landed in Detroit, my bags were nowhere to be found. This put a bit of a damper on the special "Sky Priority" baggage claim that Detroit has installed. Also at baggage claim: several Omahans who would be on my next flight.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that a rather large man sat next to me (in Economy Comfort) on my nine-hour flight from Paris to Detroit. Sitting next to me was more like sitting a third of the way into my seat. It was rather uncomfortable having his sweaty body pressed against my leg and shoulder. So much so that I complained to Delta and received some complimentary miles, which was nice.

My final flight from Detroit to Omaha was slightly delayed but we still arrived on time in Omaha, completing about 18 hours of travel. Here's the day in photos:

It was pretty foggy before 6 a.m. in Valencia.

This is what I faced when I arrived at security: a line that wasn't moving.

The line at security was absolute chaos.

It was still pretty foggy in Valencia more than an hour later.

I don't think everyone made the flight, even though we were delayed.

Photo with travel partner and lululemon yoga guru Ted McDonald.

The in-flight monitor on my flight from Valencia to Paris.

Getting from the terminal to the plane is always an adventure in Europe.

I love having Sky Priority status.

Here's the aircraft for my flight from Paris to Detroit.

Seeing the window open reminded me of TWA Flight 847, which was hijacked in 1985.

Trans-Atlantic Travel

I landed in Paris as dawn was breaking.

Paris – I have gradually worked my way up the status ladder on Delta airlines enough that typically, I am seated in "Economy Plus" on international flights. This section boasts a bit of extra legroom, it's located closer to the front of the cabin (meaning you are served meals faster) and typically, I can get in a bulkhead seat, providing me even more extra legroom.

Unfortunately, for my flight from Atlanta to Paris, I was back in the "peanut gallery." And the flight was a code-share with Air France. That means fewer movies, cuisine that's a bit more international and no personal air conditioning device above your seat. It's not a great mix. But not too bad, either.

I always tell the person seated next to me (in this case, I was on the aisle in the middle of a 2 seat-4 seat-2 seat configuration) to elbow me if they need to get up. Generally, I get up more than they do. But on this flight, the woman next to me decided it would be easier if she just crawled over me. So twice, I woke up to her trying to creatively crawl on top of me to get to the aisle. I don't believe she tried to wake me up either time.

Anyway, my always-sleep-going-east strategy didn't work this time, despite taking three sleeping pills. It was a bit of a nightmare. I finally started getting drowsy in the seventh hour of an eight-hour trip. That's never good. So when I landed in Paris, I was not at "full strength." Here's some photos of my travel today – 18.5 hours door-to-door.

It was a busy Sunday morning at Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport.

Fortunately, I was able to enjoy lounge access in Paris. I always go downstairs. It is less-crowded.

In this terminal, there's no mistaking you are at Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport.

I exited the plane out the back upon my arrival in Valencia, Spain.

Off To Spain

These sure looked nice (and new). Too bad I'm in economy on my eight-hour flight to Europe.

Atlanta – It's "Groundhog Day" in the cycling world. The time of year when everyone ventures off to training camp before the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

For me, this means a flight from Omaha to Atlanta, then on to Paris, and finally to Valencia, Spain. It's a much longer haul than most of the staff and riders (who are mostly exclusively in Europe) have to endure. But it's one I have been making since December of 2010. And for sure, the warm temperatures in Spain will be a nice change from the (sometimes bitter) cold of Omaha.

The south terminal at Eppley Airfield was nearly deserted Saturday afternoon.

I've never heard of this place, but the food was pretty good.

The view from my seat in Delta's Sky Lounge in Atlanta.

Off To Spain

Only two days after returning from Utah, I am back on the road again. This time, Spain is my destination. Omaha mired in sub-freezing temperatures, so it's a good time to get away.

Travel Time

So I am back on the road after more than a month away. Here is what it looked like in Denver while I was waiting out a delay.

I am on my way to Salt Lake City for meetings in Park City. As you can see, I am flying Frontier. It feels a bit strange not to be on Delta. And I am missing some of the perks of being one of their frequent fliers. But sometimes it is good to see what "the other guy" is doing.

Finally ... My Luggage Arrives

Here's the poor guy who had to deliver my luggage. He was in a rush, obviously.

I've never seen so many luggage tags on a suitcase. Yikes.

So my luggage didn't catch up to me when I arrived in Geneva on a Delta and KLM Airlines flight Friday. And it actually didn't catch up to me until early Sunday morning – just before 1 o'clock. What a saga. And I was simply waiting for it. I can only imagine the drama the delivery driver experienced making his way on narrow, Swiss mountain roads, late at night, through pouring rain, to a hotel that was completely shut down for the night.

Did I mention this guy only spoke French? Well, that was a bit complicated. Fortunately, there was a chef from Vancansoleil still in the lobby and he directed this guy in. But by the time he showed, the hotel was completely locked up and the driver ended up about 300 meters from the hotel in the team parking area. I ran out into the rain, signed for the two bags, gave him all the Swiss Francs I had (about seven), plus three Euros and he was on his way.

Back To Europe

Sunny skies (with a few clouds) for departure from Eppley Airfield.

"Working lunch" at Chili's.

So it's time to head back to Europe. Just one more trip after this one, so I hope the rain that is forecast for the entire week of Vuelta al País Vasco does not materialize. It's going to only make a hard race that much harder.


Just getting out of Omaha was a bit tricky. My Delta boarding pass for the third leg of my trip (Paris to Bilbao, Spain) printed three times for me. When the reservation agent tried to get the first two legs to print herself, it was the same: more boarding passes for the third leg. Eventually, she had eight of them (plus the three I printed). Twenty five minutes and four phone calls later, she finally got the missing boarding passes to print out. But she couldn't explain why I didn't get an upgrade on my first leg. Fortunately, the agent at the gate just told me to "sit in 3A" and voila, I was in first class.

Fluffy bed of clouds over Minneapolis.

There is still snow on the ground in Minneapolis. Ick.

Here is that boarding pass that kept printing out. I learned 1A is a good seat.

Arrival In Paris

This Concorde is on display near the entrance to Charles De Gaulle Airport.

So my flight didn't go as smoothly as others have, despite my new, inflatable travel pillow. Maybe it's just getting used to it. Or the fact that part of my armrest fell off in mid-flight. But I only slept about four hours in an eight-and-a-half hour flight, meaning I need a nap. Here's a few photos now that I am on-site in Paris on a rather cold, cloudy day.

This is what my armrest looked like after part of it fell off early in my trans-Atlantic flight.

The view from my seat in Economy Plus (row 12).

Minneapolis was rather sunny, but also cold.

First Race Trip Of 2013

I'm (hopefully) leaving the snowflakes behind today as I fly to Minneapolis, then on to Paris-Nice.

Heading Home

The VIP Lounge in Valencia was nearly empty. But well-stocked with chocolate milk.

Not many people on board the first of my three flights.

A long day of travel began at 2 a.m. when I woke up to watch the Santos Tour Down Under. Little did I know that this would mark a monumental day of monitoring races because later tonight – in the U.S. – I would be monitoring another stage of the race. Yes, two stages of the same race in the same day, due to the time difference. Who knew?

Anyway, once Stage 3 ended, it was a race to get the story written, audio files loaded and distribution performed. Scott Nydam was a huge help, moving my bags from here to there as I tried to finish my story while checking in. Thank goodness for Delta's Sky Priority lane, which hustled me through that process – and security – and into the VIP lounge to finish things off.

Then it was off to Paris where Scott and I did our best impressions of OJ Simpson, running from one terminal to another to get through security and onto different flights back to the United States. (He flew to Atlanta while I was going through Detroit.)

Dirty piles of snow greeted me in Paris.

I was seated in 11B for the eight-hour flight and the seat map online showed I (fortunately) had no one sitting next to me. Well, that is until a couple came on board and began eyeing the seat next to me. It was a strange thing. Was I sitting in their seats? Was one of them going to sit next to me? Were they getting the fact that I was shooting them back the evil eye?

Well, after they stood there for awhile and spoke to the flight attendant at the door and gone back up the jetway and back, the woman approached me and indicated she was going to sit in the window seat next to me. Okay, so I'm not going to have an empty seat next to me. Fine. But a few minutes later, in French, she told me her husband was up in business class and asked if I would switch seats. Switch seats with him? Of course, he can sit in Economy Plus while I enjoy first class service in the seat he paid for.

But there was a little something lost in translation. She wanted me to switch seats with her so she could have the aisle and go up and back to visit him. Uh, really? Whatever, I thought. I'll hunker down for eight hours with the bulkhead to prop my head against. But that scenario was short-lived because he soon returned and, not long after, whisked her not to business class, but to row 22 (not even Economy Plus) so the two could sit together. Strange. But good for me.

The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful. I watched three movies – including "The Town" and "The Muppet Movie" and three episodes of "The Office." Regarding the latter, I'm not missing much by not catching it weekly on NBC.

Will this all fit in my new suitcase?

Yes. And it made the weight limit, too.