Birkie Wrap up & Europa Cup Travel Adventures
Birkie Wrap up & Europa Cup Travel Adventures
Birkie Wrap-Up:
Last weekend concluded with another successful American Birkebeiner. A record number of 8,300 total Birkie event participants were met with perfect conditions. It was great to catch up with the athletes to see how the race unfolded. The men’s race seemed to be particularly strategic, which wasn’t any surprise with the four Italians there. It was great to hear that Tad was strong enough to remain with the two Italians in the final break away and that the pace was such that only one Italian would remain at the finish. It was also good to hear that Rebecca was able to maintain a high pace that lasted to the finish. I look forward to seeing the new Birkie DVD. It will be great to watch the action unfold.
Travels through Europe:
I was excited to find that my flights to Europe departed MSP at 3:30 PM on Monday. This allowed time to pack up gear and clean out Vortanz’s pole barn where we had 12 wax stations hitting on all eight cylinders Friday night and Saturday morning for the Birkie.
My flights were seamless. I checked my bags straight through from Minneapolis to Munich, Germany with a layover in Chicago O’Hare. I met up with Amy Caldwell and Matt Whitcomb at O’Hare. I hopped onto the plane, watched a movie and slept the remainder of the way. It was morning in Germany and 3:00AM back home.
We drove from Munich through Switzerland via a stint in Lichtenstein and then onto the northern French Alps. The total drive was a touch over 7 hours. The last portion of the drive was eventful only due to the sheer number of villages named St Francois. I counted 4 total. We checked out three until we found our final destination. St Francois must to be pretty popular around here.
The City of Chambrey:
On the Wednesday, March 3rd I had an impromptu scenic stroll around Chambery’s city center. I headed down from our lodging near the Col de Plainpalais and into the city to pick up Matt Whitcomb. Matt had returned one of our vans back to Geneva and took a train back to Chambery where someone was to swing by and pick him up. I heard word of the need for Matt’s pick up time with little time to spare, so volunteered and hopped out of my clothes ski clothes and onto the road.
I found my way successfully into the City Center. Chambery’s city center was beautiful, but challenging to navigate. Many roads ended abruptly into old historic sections that had been preserved for tourist walking traffic only. Urban planning and design was a concept developed long after Chambery’s City Center. I opted to park on a near-by road close to the city’s Post Office, Police Department, Bus Station and Train Depot reside. I took note of a full-sized statue for a notable landmark near my parking position, for the street signs were challenging to find even at a walkers pace. A simple trip resulted in a memorable experience that includes a story I just can’t make up. I am now offering my expertise for hire as a travel guide of Chambery’s City Center due to my intimate knowledge of the pedestrian sites.
I was testing kick on Thursday as well as assisting Caitlin Compton with skate ski selection. We dropped off her additional skis and my warm-up jacket and pants toward the tail end of our training session. We placed them along the trail close to our entry/ exit to the parking lot. Caitlin’s skis remained but my jacket and pants unfortunately did not. I thought early departing athletes from our group snagged them, but unfortunately not. They did say they were there when they left 15 minutes shy of my departure. Well, I hope someone less fortunate than I acquired my warm-ups. They will be happy to find a new Canon G10 camera and mid-temperature hard waxes in the pockets. Bummer, since the USST kick wax box was lost by the airlines and the airlines traded by providing 7 sweet one-piece carbon hockey sticks. The owner of the sticks is one NHL hockey player. His name is engraved on them.
