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.

First Meal At The Marriott

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

BMC Racing Team Photo Day

This was the final shoot of a five-hour portrait session with the riders.

I'm not sure what is happening in this photo.

One rider had wet feet, which marked up the tarp. So I used a hair dryer to clean it up.

Dinner After A Long Day

My iPad kept me company at the restaurant.

I woke up a little after 3 a.m., sweating profusely and obviously suffering from a fever. Fortunately, it broke – twice – over the next few hours. But the damage was done. I was tired, developing a cough and my forehead still felt hot, meaning no working around the staff at training camp today.

Ultimately, I was able to get my work done from my room. And, while I missed the go-karting outing, I was able to get pictures to post in the staff training camp album.

Because the staff went into Denia this evening, I was able to enjoy a quiet meal in the restaurant (see photos below). The best part? It was free! So that was a welcome surprise.

This is a Caesar salad. It was amazing.

This four-cheese pizza was easily the size of a medium in the U.S.

Dessert was fabulous.

Here's video of Gunther Landrie announcing prize winners from a contest.

What A Disaster!

At least we were able to crack a smile at the top of the mountain.

What was supposed to be an eight-kilometer hike to complete six missions turned into a nearly four-hour debacle that saw us take the lead, then get lost and hike more than 13 kilometers, arriving at the hotel four hours later slumped over with fatigue and in last place.

I'll keep the details short because I am simply exhausted. But we can blame a faulty map and guide for getting us lost. Then we tried to make up time by running, only to get lost again. A hike up and over a mountain was exhausting enough without the added distance. And to top it all off, I was the only one who brought along any water. Wow.

The second task involved being blindfolded. That's me on the left.

By the third contest station, we had already moved into first place and had to wait.

Gavin Chilcott killed this contest, doing a track stand for 90 seconds – twice!

An hour later, we had given up running and started walking, apparently the wrong way.

At least the view from the top of the mountain was a nice one.

Even the trip down the mountain was a treacherous one. And we got lost again.

One reason why we got lost? Someone had covered up the red dots marking the rocks.

Arrival In Spain

A familiar view, this time from the third floor.

Sunset in Spain

A nice sunset here at the Denia Mariott this evening.

Thank You, Denia Marriott

The girls show off their jewel pendants, gifts from the Denia Marriott staff.

Current Temperatures

So I'm not looking forward to my return to Omaha so much.

Sponsor Shoots

Taylor Phinney is first up on the sponsor shoot front
at the BMC Racing Team camp.

Spain: The Final Days (In Photos)

Alicante's airport. I dropped off Thor Hushovd and Kevin Grove here.

The drive back. Sunny and warm. Windows down.

Watching storm coverage streaming from Omaha. My temperature? 70 degrees.

Final hotel room of the trip – in Valencia. Only slept two hours in this bed.

Amaël Moinard was catching some shut-eye on the trip to Paris.

Paris. Damp. Cold. Not pictured: the Star Alliance lounge. Nice.

I love this board.

Alessandro Ballan made the French newspapers.

Team Dinner

I actually attended my first team dinner at a training camp tonight. Usually, I'm back at the hotel, working feverishly on something. But this year, I was determined to participate. It was at a nice restaurant in Denia and was a chance to get out of the hotel for a few hours.

What I wasn't expecting was the recognition I received from the staff and riders. It was a moment I will never forget. As Ian Sherburne said, "we won the Tour de France last year and nobody got a standing ovation." A humbling moment for sure. And one that makes me proud to work for such a fine organization.

On to the photos...

Did not eat.

Tried to eat.

Ate and enjoyed.

Somebody made a mess. Not me.

Reverse Angle

This is a "reverse angle" shot of my "office" here in Denia. Thanks to Nicolò Ildos for taking it.

What Is This?

I'm not sure what sport this is.

I hope these guys are getting paid good money to run through this stuff.

And what's this all about? Running down some green carpeting?

The Numbers Can Be Deceiving

View from the pool deck this morning in Denia, Spain.

The numbers for Omaha are in Fahrenheit. Denia is in Celsius.

Arrival In Spain

It's hard to beat scenes like this in December, though it was only 65 degrees.

I left the cold, snow and wind of Belgium behind this morning by hopping a RyanAir flight from Charleroi to Alicante, Spain. Departure from the hotel was at 4:40 a.m., the flight at 6:30 and I was lying by the pool (since my room wasn't ready) by 10:15 a.m.

As for the rest of the day, I'll let the photos tell the story.

Boarding – from the front and back of the plane – in the dark.

Check out the advertising on the bulkhead storage containers.
The seats don't recline and there's no seatback pockets.
So those are safety instructions on the back of each seat.

Soigneur Anthony Pauwels picked Kate Ochowicz-Hogan and me up from the airport.

My room is well-lit (by the sun) and has a balcony view of the pool.

The sink area of the bathroom is also very well-lit.

This was lunch. Yum.

Arriving to the hotel after 10 a.m. meant I missed the mass in Jesus Pobré.
But the Catholic TV network has online mass available (28 minutes).
I also watched the Pope celebrate mass (live) in the street later on.

Dinner was fried rice, chicken and vegetables. Not bad.

Dessert was very good.

The hotel is sporting a pretty festive look. Last year, these lights caught fire.