From Valencia To Paris

The line at security was long in Valencia – as always.

Arrival in Paris. This was moments before I found out my luggage was already on its way to Dubai.

Thank goodness the airport hotel had one of these.

A bit out of sequence. But a nice photo before my departure from Spain.

This was my room at the Ibis hotel.

That big wall with the door is the bathroom.

And here's a look inside.

Really nice – and clean – compared to some airport hotels.

I woke up early Monday morning to find out who won the Super Bowl. The BBC had a photo of it.

Yep, I'm in France now.

The razor and shaving creme I sprung for in the vending machine.

A Bit of Craziness

It seems Halloween came early to the Denia Marriott.

I'm getting ready to head out from my stay at the Denia Marriott. There were some interesting images all around. Saturday night's party – which had something to do with costumes – didn't wrap up until 5 a.m. Sunday. Yikes.

Here are a few more photos from around the hotel:

This guy must have had a really nice time at the party.

I got these rookies from the Ladies European Tour to help me out.

They really liked the free stuff we gave them.

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.

My View From The Marriott

My view off the third floor balcony.

First Meal At The Marriott

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

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.

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.

Any Guesses...

...as to where I am listening to this afternoon's Creighton men's basketball game?

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.

Some New Gear

This year's December camp new gear includes a pair of Nikes,
new Pearl Izumi socks, a new Thule backpack and a suitcase.

I also received a nifty new suitcase and was told the old one has a 10-year guarantee.

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.