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.

My mind was made up.  I would pick up the car in Girona, drive to Belgium and race through Liege-Bastogne-Liege, then drive down to Italy to pick up Brendan Quirk for a few days of training on the Giro d’Italia course and finally bring the car back to Girona in early May.  I am tired just from writing about all of the driving ahead, but at least I know I will get to where I need to be.  The outrageous bike charges and the countless security screens that come with air travel will not be missed either.

Driving in Europe is not all that bad either.  I am amazed at how much the scenery changes in such short distances.  Being from America I am use to driving hours on end before I was out of the deserts of the West, or the mountains of North Carolina.  Here in the space of a couple hours you go from the arid landscape of Provence, past the high mountains of the Alps and you are in the rolling pastures covered in yellow mustard seeds that make up central France.  The scenery defiantly keeps the drive entertaining, but I was more than excited to pull into our team hotel late last night.  It was a long trip that took some thirteen hours from door to door, but I am happy I did it.  It is great to be back with the team and where I belong.  I hated watching Amstel on TV, and I didn’t want to be in that same position the rest of the week.  These races are some of the best of the year and regardless of how I feel after the long drive I can’t wait to race tomorrow.

For 2010, Fleche Wallonne has had a pretty significant course change.  As always we pass the infamous Mur de Huy three times.  With its slopes kicking up above 20% it has always been a deciding factor, but probably never more than it will be this year.  In past editions we would pass the Mur two times before the finish on the third trip up, but those first two times were always far out from the finish so the pace was calm.  This year the 2nd passage comes just twenty-nine kilometers from the finish, so it will play a vital role in the race.  The run-in to the 2nd passage will be chaotic, as we all know the race will be decided there.  HTC-Columbia’s goal is to have some riders up the road by then as with a finish like tomorrow it is always good to be a little ahead of the game.

I spent most of the first stage thinking about all of the training and suffering I had done on these exact roads to prepare my body for these races.  I also couldn’t help but notice how much easier we glide over the hills in the race compared to when I am training by myself.  I am always amazed at how fast the bunch can get moving when it wants to.

HTC-Columbia has already had a very successful Volta Catalunya.  The prologue went very well, and Mark Cavendish has made it very clear that he is back from some early season setbacks with a great win into Banyoles.  Within just a few short weeks of proper training and racing he is back to winning and showing why he is the fastest man on two wheels.

Now we head into the mountains, direction Andorra.  The next three days will be very difficult I feel.  There might not be a mountain top finish to any of the stages, but the roads will be constantly tilting up and down.  And if the previous races this year are any indication, we should see some epic race days ahead.

I feel my fitness is heading in the right direction now. After a rough start to the racing season, with two crashes, too many flat tires to count and the horrendous weather, I can say that the bad luck is behind me. Now I can look forward to performing well in Paris-Nice. I will spend this week in Girona working on some longer distances as there are many stages over 200 kilometers in Paris-Nice, and then next week I will head up to Nice with Courtney to meet up with some family and recon the last couple of stages. I can’t wait to see how it all goes. Much of my time lately has been spent daydreaming about wearing the white jersey after the prologue!

Once my day’s work is complete I spend the afternoon with Courtney.  We have a nice lunch, and then I usually take a small siesta while she knocks out some more of her work and after that we go for a stroll around town to gather food to cook for the night.  Does life get any better than that?

We have a lot to look forward to in the near future.  My first race, Challenge Mallorca, is just around the corner.  I am eager to get to the start line and get some good racing in my legs.  I’ll only be doing the final three stages of the five-day race.  There is no need for me to be parading around the flat streets of Palma for the first two days! The final, very mountainous, three stages are much more suited to my style.  I have never raced in Mallorca before, but with many training camps there in the past I will have a good feel for the roads.  This race should provide the perfect start to the season.  Before all of that fun begins, Courtney and I will probably sneak down to Barcelona for the day.  It is so close and easy to reach by train, so we really are making sure we take advantage of that while we can.

The next two weeks will be spent fine-tuning my form in order to be ready for my first race of the year, Challenge Mallorca.  With so many long rides in my legs after this camp, I won’t need to worry about adding volume.  I will just be focused on shorter more intense days, trying to help the body remember what it is like to be racing.

Courtney and I will also be rediscovering the Catalunya region of Spain.  We have both really missed the culture and atmosphere of Europe, and are excited to be back.  It will be great to spend some time together and revisit our favorite spots and dine at some of our favorite restaurants.  There are so many great things to look forward to at the moment.

I am looking forward to getting the year going and figuring out where my fitness is in the first few races.  I feel the winter has treated me well, but it’s hard to say when you’re not racing and don’t have anything to compare with.  I am also really excited to get back to life in Girona.  The life and culture there is about as good as it can get.  Morning coffees overlooking the river at our place, and an evening glass of wine in one of the town squares with Courtney are some of the best parts of life.  It will also be nice to escape the bitter cold that has settled in Greenville, and have some fresh roads to train on.

I did start to come around after four or five days of rest, so I started to get in some good days on the bike.  As soon as I was feeling like my old self, I headed towards the hills and ended up on what was one of my favorite loops.  A really nice climb followed by a gravel descent towards a massive reservoir and up another mountain.  Sounds awesome, right?

The only problem was the gravel road must have had a rough summer as it was barely ridable compared to the last time I rode it in the spring.  I ended up washing out in a turn, at a fairly low speed, and my poor uncovered hands took all the blow.  Nothing too serious at all, something you would expect to have happen about every time you go mountain biking, but at this point in the year it was about the last thing I would like to deal with.  So I just laid there in the sun for a good fifteen minutes, or until I realized I had a flat tire so I would have to change that and pump it up with some bloody palms, not fun!  Days like this one you just have to make it through and forget about it as soon as possible.

I took a few more days easy to refresh the body and more importantly refresh the mind.  Did some shopping and spent a day down in Barcelona with Timmy Duggan.  Add in a few good dinners and some wine and I was once again feeling my old self and motivated to finish out the season on a high note.  And then I awoke yesterday morning to a scratchy throat, great!  That is how about every cold I have ever had starts.  So I am back down at the moment, and I am taking it very easy in the hope that I can hold off this cold and get in a few good race days before my last racing goal of the season, Giro di Lombardia.