Roundabout routes to snowy Belgium

I am not gonna lie, trying to think of a clever way to begin a blog entry sucks... So I hope you will do alright going with out!

Camp so far has been pretty interesting. I don't think in the 5 or 6 years that I have attended Geoff Proctor's Christmas camp have I ever seen so much snow. In fact, there is so much snow here that the amount of distress it has caused on the people of Belgium is almost comical! Adding a few inches of snow to a country that only sees it once in a blue moon has created all kinds of havoc.

My trip started out like most people here with delays galore and many hours spent staring at the ceilings of airports that we shouldn't be at in the first place. Personally, I thought circling Brussels airport for a couple hours only to have to be redirected to Amsterdam where we had to wait for another couple of hours on the runway then fly back to Belgium was painful, but that's nothing compared to the numerous other stories of campers here, who endured many more hours doing similar things only to get here and not even have their bikes arrive.

Getting through and learning from situations like this, ladies and gentlemen, is what makes "Euro Cross Camp" the character-building experience that it is!

On a more positive note, I was very pleased that my first race over here went as well as it did. Most definitely the coldest race I have done this season, but 3rd place and best U23 was a fun way to start this trip.

With that said, none of this would have been able to happen without a few very important people and organizations. First of all, I can't say thank you enough to everyone at USA Cycling for giving me the stepping stones through the years to help me reach this level in my cycling career.

My first trip to this house in Belgium was when I was 16 and I've been many times since, both for the road season and the 'cross season and I can't say enough about how much Noel and Geoff have helped me grow as a rider and person through the past several years. This camp wouldn't be in its 7th year if it wasn't for Geoff Proctor and his incredible passion and drive to pass on his knowledge and passion for cyclocross to myself and all of the others.

It's early days, but watch out for some more great results from the campers here over the Christmas holidays!

Thanks for your support,

Danny Summerhill

Twitter: @DannySummerhill