I Had Fun With This One

Seventh Floor View

My view from the seventh floor of the Sheraton in Doha.

And the night-time view is equally as picturesque.

Busy, Busy

A look at a few of the things I have going at the moment.

As Seen On SnapChat

I can always count on Emily to make me laugh with her funny faces.

This was in response to my seeing some headlamps on the luggage belt at the airport.

Isn't she adorable?

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.

On My Way To Dubai

This will be a quick post with no photos because I am getting ready to board my flight to Dubai in Paris.

Things were seemingly going well in Valencia Sunday, early evening. I enjoyed Sky Priority status in getting my bag checked for the flight to Paris. But what I wasn't told was that my suitcase was being checked straight through to Dubai.

So when I got off the plane and waited for my luggage, I was left waiting. A check at the Air France desk told me my bag was already on its way to Dubai. Ugh.

I made it to my hotel just fine, but with no change of clothes or anything but my backpack, it was a bit depressing. Like really depressing.

So I awoke this morning, showered, and put my (stinky) lululemon clothing back on. It's going to be quite a day since I don't arrive in Dubai until midnight. And one other issue: I don't have my visa. Supposedly, it will be there – handled by the race organization – when I arrive. I sure hope so!

As Seen On Snapchat

Emily made me laugh with this reply that I'd made it to Paris.

And a classic "funny face" followed.

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.

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.