A quick spin through Palma de Mallorca. Down along the harbor and up and around the Le Seu cathedral.

It’s great to be back in Girona after a very successful training camp in Mallorca.

Torres Chocolate signs, for some reason, symbolize Catalunya for me.

Beautiful weather in Spain at the moment.

Had a few very nice rides with Robbie Ventura over the weekend.

Random hole-in-the-wall bar stop with RV and Joel turned into one of the best jamon sandwiches I’ve ever had.

You have to start early, and brave the cold, to get in the scheduled six-hour rides here in Mallorca.

Climbing Sa Calobra with Marco Pinotti and Peter Velits.  My favorite climb on the island.

Still working my way up the 10km Sa Calobra climb with Pino…

At the top of Mallorca highest mountain, Puig Major, the light at the end of the tunnel is pretty small.

The road to Llucmajor, or away from it…

There is nothing worse than delayed travel that just keeps getting more delayed.  I’ve experienced my fair share, and if you have ever flown once or twice, I am sure you have as well.  It is really hard for me to imagine a time –back in the 50’s or 60’s- when travel was actually considered a luxury.  I know it doesn’t make sense to complain when you really can’t come up with a better solution, so in the end it is what it is.

My latest trip overseas had me arriving thirty hours later than expected. Wait, it gets better. After the trip that seemed like it would never end finally did, I found myself at the lost baggage desk to only hear my troubles would continue.   My bags were still back in the States.  All they could tell me is that the bags would  “possibly” be delivered the following evening.  The only problem there is that I was departing on a different airline, from a different airport to an island in the middle of the Mediterranean that morning.  I am going to be on the road for two weeks, my bags can’t just sit here at the airport or on the sidewalk in front of my building.  With no one to call, or even cell service to make a call, I begin to panic.

The only solution I could come up with is maybe Jose, my taxi driver, who is waiting outside of customs for me could take them.  I hate to ever burden anyone with my troubles, and I knew it was a long shot, but worth the try.  I dig out his number from my phone and hand it over to the agent at the desk.  A few seconds of Spanish later, and the agent is jotting down Jose’s address and information.  “No problemo,” is all I get and I am sent off with my baggage locater number.

Sure, I still don’t have my bags, but the fact that Jose is willing to look after me to such an extent and deal with this hassle is just a small taste of the Spanish culture.  Once you are here and have established yourself as a decent person, you are family.  I am embarrassed to say I could count the words Jose and I have exchanged over the years on one hand.  His English is as bad as my Spanish, and that is not a good combination!  Yet, here he is, going out of his way to help me out.  This kindness is something I find rare, and it is one of the reason I call Girona my 2^nd home.

I am not so sure about this “global warming” anymore.  As I type this, Greenville is being buried in snow for the second time in the last three weeks.  This time around we are seeing close to a foot of the white stuff.  Pretty rare for a part of the world that usually only sees a few flakes the entire winter.  On top of that, the sun hasn’t really made an appearance in the last month and the temperatures are never reaching the normal highs.  Doesn’t sound much like a recipe for global warming to me.

With that said, this past month has been very productive on the bike.  As you’ve seen in my previous post, training has been going well, very well.  So this snow is a welcomed sight as I could use some chill time on the couch before all of the madness of the racing season begins.  I am off later this week to Mallorca, Spain for our 2^nd HTC-Highroad gathering.  With all of our team photos and meeting completed, our upcoming camp will be all about the bike, so it is a good idea to go in a little over-rested if anything.

This forced day off couldn’t have come on a better day as I am celebrating my 26^th birthday, and my wife is snowed in with me.  Instead of working, we will be out sledding in the streets.  After all, you’re never too old to act like a kid in the snow.

Over the past ten days the Greenville community has seen its fair share of professional cyclists cruising the streets.  Riders from across the nation are discovering the quiet roads and relatively warm climate of the Upstate.  Having the US Professional Championship based in Greenville for the past five years has certainly helped get the word out.  Now, the time and effort is finally being put in by a number of riders to actually set up their winter base here and take advantage of all that the area has to offer.

George and I have been happy to play tour guide these past few weeks.  The long rides we are use to covering by ourselves are made much quicker and easier with the help of some company.  Ted King has been based out of my house this past week and has, as far as I can tell, been enjoying his time here.  Another New Englander, Jeremy Powers, just made the journey down south to put in his final preparations for a bid at the upcoming Cyclocross World Championships in Germany.

Our training group has been getting more diverse by the day.  From sprinters like Frank Travieso to climbers like Chris Butler, we have had a great mix of riders to push each of us in all the aspects of cycling.  After all, sometimes the best way to progress is by surrounding yourself with better riders.

With a few of the locals joining us throughout the week our group has been relatively big and entertaining.  Some of them have been biting off more than they can chew trying to keep up on the climbs and pull through when we are rotating on the flats.  But it has all been in good fun.  I hope Greenville continues to draw in a growing number of cyclists.  When we are in the dead of winter, and the body needs the mind-numbing base miles for the season ahead, misery loves company.

Our host for the week, Specialized, has been generous to all of the HTC-Highroad organization since the minute we arrived in town.  Specialized HQ has even been transformed into our team offices. The normal employees filling the office have been few and far between.  Instead of the filled cubicles, signs have been put up in every space directing us where to go.

With most of my testing and bike fitting completed, I set out on my first ride on the new bike yesterday morning.  The early fog burned off as I made my way through the busy streets.  Before I knew it, I had made a left turn onto Canada road.  From the aggressive traffic of the valley floor, to the eerily silence of a forested climb, the transition took place in a matter of seconds.  From there I was removed from the stress of the city life and left to my own thoughts.  The roads in the hills are some of the best you can ask for.  The type where even though you have somewhere else you need to be, you just want to keep going to see what’s around the next corner.

And then there is the bike.  My first impression is that I can’t wait to race it.  It is very responsive and very light.  Not to mention the looks, and this is just the first training bike we will receive.  The intimidation factor will be high on the start line of the races in 2011.

As everyone knows by now, for cyclists, the 2011 season begins in December.  The teams have been finalized, the schedules have been set and the first get-togethers are underway.  Some teams are in the snow, while some are at the beach.  HTC-Highroad’s will take place up and down the coast of California over the next 10-days.

I’ve just finished packing and I am ready for the first leg of the trip, Morgan Hill.  Specialized, our new bike sponsor is based in Morgan Hill, and for the next few days we will be getting to know them better as well as getting to know our bikes for the year ahead. Specialized has developed a 29-step process, known as the BG Fit, to help everyone feel more comfortable on their bikes.  I feel pretty good already, so I am interested to see what changes can be made.

After a few days in the San Jose area, we are transferring down to Westlake Village to focus more on actual riding.  That is about all I know for now.  I am really not too sure what all to expect, I am just excited to begin a new season.  There will be a lot of returning riders paired with quite a few fresh faces, so it should be a good mix to keep things interesting.

Looking at the weather forecast, it looks like timing for a trip to sunny California couldn’t be any better.   Things are cooling off quickly here in the Southeast, so the warmer temperatures will be welcomed.  And for a sign that 2011 is starting off on the right foot, I’ve already been upgraded to First Class for the trip out West.  When it’s good, it’s great.

Traveling to a new area of the US is a rare occurrence for me these days.  It seems I have been everywhere and in between, but I had never set foot in Little Rock, Arkansas until two weeks ago.  Our close friend, Brendan Quirk, finally talked Courtney and I into checking out his hometown and we couldn’t have been happier with our decision to go.

At first, I really just wanted to check out his company, Competitive Cyclist, and spend some time with him and his family.  Then the idea of having a little group ride came into play.  Before I knew it, it was a full-blown-trash-talking-infused race between twenty of Little Rock’s finest.  There were even cash prizes for the three main climbs!

At this point in the year I am as far from my race condition as I can be, but when there is money on the line and half of your companions are rolling around on $10,000 bikes, clothed from head to toe in Assos you know you have to represent.  Long story short, I came, I saw and I conquered!  Though, it didn’t come without a great deal of suffering.

But “winning” the ride wasn’t the highlight of the week for me.  I’d say that would have to go to my first encounter to the unforgettable chant for “calling the hogs” during the Arkansas football game. I know Americans are passionate about their collage football, but this took it to a new level…

With that said I can finally speak openly about where I will be racing next year and I am happy to say I am sticking with the same team I have grown with over the last three seasons, HTC-Highroad.  I feel at home here at HTC-Highroad and to end up renewing my contract with them makes me more motivated than ever.  Besides, I have some unfinished business with the Giro d’Italia.  I still need to finish off those 150meters that kept me from winning stage 13 this year.

There will be more to come from our get together in California next week.