USA was 2nd after Brazil and ahead of Mexico. Matt Chrabot killed it. He’s an animal. He was 2nd in at least two of the three races. Victor was solid in the front of the chase pack and I was solid at the end of the lead pack. I’ll write more later, but I will say I’m much happier about this race than I was a year ago.

After several dead end conversations with the Brazilian American Airlines people, I still have no bag. Actually it’s even less close to arriving than I thought. Customs said I have to be there to pick it up, but I can’t call customs because, “they have not issued you a retention number, but when we have it we can give you the information to call.” This doesn’t make sense to me, and when I finally called the American Airlines people in America, they also thought it made no sense at all. So much so, in fact, that they told me they would authorize me to spend up to $250 on clothing and things I need for the race. Now if only there were a nice bike shop nearby…

Here’s a picture of two dogs that became my best friend when I fed them some of my lunch through the open window of the restaurant.

After several dead end conversations with the Brazilian American Airlines people, I still have no bag. Actually it’s even less close to arriving than I thought. Customs said I have to be there to pick it up, but I can’t call customs because, “they have not issued you a retention number, but when we have it we can give you the information to call.” This doesn’t make sense to me, and when I finally called the American Airlines people in America, they also thought it made no sense at all. So much so, in fact, that they told me they would authorize me to spend up to $250 on clothing and things I need for the race. Now if only there were a nice bike shop nearby…

Here’s a picture of two dogs that became my best friend when I fed them some of my lunch through the open window of the restaurant.

My bike showed up. Now I have something to ride, a uniform to race in, my first aid kit. and a pair of Keahou running shoes. Plus the stuff from my carry on.

My carry on has the following:

• My laptop, camera, and chargers.
• A pair of K-Swiss Training Board Shorts
• Four Clif Bars (3 are now digested completely)
• A K-Swiss Hoodie
• My Toiletries
• My Bike Shoes
• My Helmet
• Some Beef Jerkey
• My Ka’ona Racing Flats
• Dura-Ace Pedals.
• In addition to that, I was wearing:
• A K-Swiss Track Suit (dark blue)
• Boxers
• Socks
• Another pair of Keahou trainers

an d most importantly

• my K-Swiss Long Sleeve Reflective Training T-Shirt.

This shirt is my favorite long sleeve shirt I’ve ever owned. It’s light weight, reflective (who would have guessed from the title) It fits perfectly. I’m wearing the white with blue highlights, and it really doesn’t bother me in the heat. I actually think it’s better than short sleeve because it’s light weight and keeps the sun off and reflects the rays.

This morning after breakfast, and after calling the airlines to find out where my bags are, we gathered at 11am to head to the swimming pool. We were all riding over there, but unfortunately, I have no bicycle. Instead I wore my bike helmet and rode on the back of a motorcycle with the man that was leading the way. Now, I have my motorcycle endorsement, and I have even thought seriously about owning a motorcycle, but thanks to recent events those dreams have been replaced by nightmares and fear of motorized two wheel travel.

Apparently this was not evident to the man driving the motorcycle. The way to the pool was casual. We were leading a pack of cyclists, so we stayed clear of traffic and moved cautiously through the streets. I even worked up the courage to take my camera out and snap a bunch of photographs.

On the ride back, however, the group was already gone, so we were on a b-line for the hotel. Honestly, 25mph feels much faster on a motorcycle while squeezing past other traffic on a narrow road than it does when I’m on my own bicycle. Also,  Brazilian traffic doesn’t seem to mind if cars stay to the right or the left. It’s tackled on a case by case basis. Virgilio used the motorcycle for a draft and stayed right on our wheel, so when we got back to the hotel he looked at me and said, “That was fun, yeah?”

Yeah… fun.

Pictures from the bus  on the way to Guaruja

We made it! And nothing was lost for anyone except me!

My flight out of Seattle ended up being about 90 minutes late, so when we touched down in Dallas I ran as fast as I could from the C terminal to the D terminal (while landing I had looked at the airport map in the American Airlines magazine in order to plot my exact tactic for getting from C7 to D33 – it involved running up an escalator, over the top of a freeway, down an escalator, and through a lot of loitering travelers.) When I arrived at the gate the door was closed and nobody was there except two women at the counter. “Are you Virgil?” They asked.

“No, I’m Ben Collins, is this the right gate for Sao Paulo?”

“Yes, but who are you? What’s your last name?”

“Collins, here’s my ticket”

“Seattle? How did you make it in time?”

The passengers had been held up for some guy named Virgil, and were told that the plane was having trouble with the water tank. Turns out I made it, but Virgil and my luggage were stuck in Dallas for a full day.

The flight was long, but uneventful. I had three center seats to myself, so I could lay down, but every time I wanted out I had to ask the people on the isle to wake up and let me stand up. In Sao Paulo we met up with the race director, Virgilio, along with the French Team, led by Benjamin Sanson. It was 11am, but the Canadians and Mexicans were scheduled to arrive at 2pm, so we had to wait. in the airport.

Now it’s a little after 6. We didn’t leave the airport until almost 3pm, and the drive was nearly three hours. I’m just happy that I’m here. I’d rather be without bags in Brazil than without bags in Dallas.

I’m sitting in Seattle waiting for my delayed flight to leave. I had a 40 minute layover in Dallas, which was tight, but now my flight is delayed an hour because of weather in Chicago,but since Chicago is an American Airlines hub, the flight to Sao Palo from Dallas is delayed 50 minutes. Now, for those of you who have passed 3rd grade math, that leaves 30 minutes for me to rush from one plane to the next in Dallas. And for those of you who have flown through Dallas, you’ll know that the international terminal is not the same as the domestic terminal, and I have to take a shuttle from one concourse to another. This could be a serious process. I recall one similar situation in which I ran nearly a full mile in the airport because the train was broken. I’ve also spent nearly 40 hours in the Dallas airport waiting for a flight that was delayed, cancelled, rescheduled, and delayed again. I specifically asked not to go through Chicago in winter, but I didn’t realize Dallas was the only other option.

Also, American is now charging for both checked bags on all their flights, except going to Brazil. That’s cool. Except they’re charging $100 for my bike, which was free on international flights a year ago. I think it stems from an American disgust for all things progressive that don’t benefit the corporate economy (e.g. cycling for transportation, walking for transportation, non-internal-combustion-engine transportation, local farming, organic farming, non-petroleum based fertilizer farming… etc.), but maybe I’m projecting too far. And maybe Obama will fix everything. I’m a skeptic, but I will raise my glass to hope. If nothing else, if we all start believing that we can make a difference, them it’s a lot more likely to happen.

That was a tangent… Maybe my flight will be leaving soon… I wish I could have spent this extra hour at home… I’m hungry…