DAMAGE CONTROL
In twenty years of travel, I’ve never seen luggage coming onto the baggage carousel looking quite like mine did the other night arriving at Calgary International. Now there is your typical damage that includes small rips, tears, torn off handles and such things. And then there is unimaginable damage that my bag sustained. It looked like a bomb blast exploded inside of it, burning and shredding it apart. So you don’t think this is an exaggeration please see exhibit ‘A‘ below.
Exhibit ‘A’
Peter and I had just returned from five days in Tucson, Arizona. I was there to train long hours on the bike under the Winter warmth and sunshine you can only find in the desert southwest. I returned feeling energized.
I was so relaxed that all I could do when the ‘team Canada’ bag made its way towards us was laugh. Peter was speechless seeing the bag. It’s not that it was funny in any way, it was just so unbelievable that there was nothing else I could do. I couldn’t think of what caused the damage.
Not so funny was that the bag held a piece of very expensive ‘top secret’ training equipment that the national team and Canadian Sports Center in Calgary had allowed me to bring to aid in my recovery. I can’t give details but to say that this is what received the brunt of the damage. It was burnt, melted, ripped, and torn apart.
All our bike tools were missing, as well as a pair of our prized Dura-Ace pedals now out of production. With the bags’ bottom and sides all torn out along with the large burn holes, I’m surprised more of our things didn’t go missing.
We made our way to the Delta Airlines baggage area and were met by two young, friendly workers. The young man explained to us that what likely happened is that the bag became jammed when making its way through the feeder system that brings it to the carousel. It gets trampled by other bags and the friction from the belt turning grinds and ultimately burns the luggage. He told us one time a bag came out so hot it was smoking.
The explanation didn’t make me feel any better about the damaged ‘top secret’ item. The bag was also one of the few souvenirs I have – or rather, had – left from the 2006 Olympics (excluding a couple medals of course). Apparently insurance covers things like this. Having the experience of dealing with insurance claims in the past, I am skeptical to say the least. We’ll see.
