All of it was my favorite part.

Somewhere in Spain. 

Location: West Chester, PA (home)

Well, I can tell you that even after 6 days back in the US of A that my heart and head are elsewhere, as expected. Mostly in those times that completely sucked and the times that completely kicked ass.

I still have not read my journal, parts of it, yeah, but not the whole thing. I also have not gotten to listening to all of the voice memos I made when I didn't feel like writing, but I did bang through a couple of hours of them on the drive from Valencia to Madrid.

Talk to yourself and be a good listener.

Location: Los Angeles

Landed back in the states a few days ago now and it was a shocker. I remember, after having forgotten, that alienating feeling that I had back when I was 20, when I came back after 10 months on the inaugural exodus.

This time I wasn't gone for that long but I did forgot how to start my car and how girls wear almost nothing at all, and that people talk loudly and there are lots of shits and fucks and horns and also a rare hello or goodbye.

Just get up and go.

Alone like this for about 50 miles of the 112 I rode today.

Location: Valencia, Spain
Ride Day: 112 Miles, 5,700ft of climbing

I have always found that when I don't know what's coming, I'm much better equipped to wrangle it into submission.

Tell me that you are super, super, super excited about next Saturday night and that everything is going to be awesome and the dinner will be perfect and the DJ will rock-ass, well then I'm likely to think about it from now until Saturday and then, if that Saturday isn't the way it was drafted, eh, I'm likely to be disappointed.

Death Smiles at us all. Smile back.

Nope. Don't know her. Nice though, eh?

Location: Valencia, Spain
Rides: 200K in two days because I could not help myself.

Five days ago went from Perpignan to Girona. Back in Spain, not so bad, in fact really good. Weather makes a difference, big time.

Before I go to the hotel, I go to the finish of the Volta a Catalunya. I scope out the camera locations. As they come over the line, I take my shirt off and hold up my flyers jersey. I get maybe a full minute of TV time. Lesson: don't try so hard.

Hotel way up on the hill, beautiful view. Ask for some ice. A bucket of ice. This is like having only one channel of TV and yet the episode always has a different ending. This time she thought I wanted a "pocket of ice" which, if you say it with a Spanish accent, sounds a lot like what it should be.

Finally got to ride, in the piss and the wind. I'll take it.

Location: Perpignan
Ride day

Well, I finally got to ride after all the issues. I'm in Girona now and just got off the bike after a monumentally beautiful day. That video will come later.

I'm going to pass out now, so all I can muster is to post the video from the rainy ride in Perpignan. I quite like it. And the song I can not get out of my head.

Bubblewrap, tape and a chain. No questions.

Location: Montpellier, France
Ride day: kind-of (see video at bottom)

Currently watching "Tower Heist" that should be in English, but oddly enough, is in German. Even my French concierge doesn't have an answer for that. But all is good because he gave me free access to all the other movies that aren't in English either. As a compromise.

Which is actually OK at the moment, because "Castaway" is on. And that has only a few words including "Wilson", "Ice", and the last twenty minutes that no one cared about anyway.

I must tell you there is a little too much "c'est la vie" going around lately. And I have been having a rough go of it. I want to ride my bike. I want things to be a little easier. Maybe, just maybe, I might be a little cooked.

It's been rainy. I lost a glove. I need bubblewrap and I need electrical tape. No, I didn't kill anyone, but also this is not the time that you want to pushing me either, because you never know.