Galavanting

Scotland was something special! What a weekend. As usual, difficult to describe in words. I saw so many friends whom I hadn’t seen in ages, and made just as many new ones. It was just too cool to be mixing it up out there with everyone and being present for wild moments. The weekend is further summarized here: Saturday was cancelled; Sunday was a 20 hour day (two parts). Still better than a desk job!

Brendawg floating into the finish.

Now, after a drive across Scotland, an overnight ferry over the North Sea, and a ridiculously long drive across central Europe, I’m now in the sunning mountains of Austria. We drove into the valley at night, so it wasn’t until morning that the majesty of the Alps was unveiled. Today was just a normal day with the pits being assembled, riders riding, and everyone just trying to not get bored.

Minnaar on point with his classic riding style and a record 17th win.

Luca Shaw showing he means business with a top-10 finish.

The language barrier has proved interesting, but I’m managing – just trying to not be a typical American abroad. No international incidents so far, which I’ll chalk up to a small victory. I think not being allowed to drive on the autobahn perhaps played a leading roll in that as well (UK van, on non-UK roads meant the van owner didn’t trust me to drive; “Let’s just say I’ve had some bad experiences with American drivers…”). Fine by me, I slept a lot!

Tomorrow is track walk day, and the start of the next round of coverage, so keep an eye out for more to come!