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Tom Danielson had a stellar first half of 2003, winning the Tour de Langkawi and dominating US domestic races along with Saturn team-mates Nathan O'Neill and Chris Horner. Although he managed to defend his Mt Washington hill-climb title the second half of his season was limited by injury, and with the ending of the Saturn team Tom has high hopes for a Europe-based 2004 with Fassa Bortolo.
Weights, stretches, training, fund-raising & missing the turkey
November 19, 2003
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Hello again from Durango. I guess winter is coming up quickly as the last week over here in Colorado was filled with snow showers and clouds. Things are really moving forward for me with my first Fassa Bortolo camp less then two weeks away. There was big news at home as Kristin signed with Team Basis for next season. I have been quite busy juggling my off-season routines, starting my training for next year, and setting up a fundraiser for my scholarship foundation - that's set to kick-off at the end of the week.
My weight training with Dave Farmer has been coming right along. After my last dairy entry I got a lot of interest into what I was doing in regards to my weight training. More specifically the back and core muscle groups. It seems that many cyclists suffer from imbalances at the core that result in everything from back pain to problems with tendons such as the IT band.
Dave has put together a super-specific program to address issues with me that will both improve my power output as well as reduce the risk of injuries such as the IT band problem I suffered this season. The routine began right at the start of my off-season with a very general weight lifting routine in the gym. I did this six days a week for three weeks. During this 'base building' time, Dave observed me during each exercise. He took notes, took photos, and even video taped how my muscles reacted to each different load placed on them. This was done to determine my imbalances and weaknesses.
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After these base weeks were completed Dave had put together a specific workout for me. Apparently my tendonitis in my IT had stemmed from an imbalance my core (resulting in a slightly crooked pelvis) and tight hamstrings. My program to strengthen my weaknesses, eliminate this IT problem and prevent a recurrence consisted of many different exercises. The program included specific weight-room exercises, a ton of stretching, thera-ball exercises, pilates, and plyometrics. I have been doing these exercises five days a week for a month and a half. My fiancée Kristin and mountain bike legend Ned Overend have been my partners on these workouts keeping me motivated and right on schedule. Every two weeks Dave does an assessment to see how I am coming along. If anything needs to change, he adjusts it accordingly. We have even done assessments on the bike and have seen large improvements in power already.
On November 15 I started my training for next year. While Dave has been very active on the strength front, Rick has been working hard planning my season as a whole. Working closely with Fassa Bortolo team manager Giancarlo Ferretti, Rick has developed a training program with the focus around May. I start with base training for the next two months and then gradually increase to more specific workouts. I will talk more about this when I am actually doing it.
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Coming up quickly is my first camp with the new team! I am very excited about this and the chance to spend some time in Italy. I am really looking forward to developing a good relationship with my new teammates so I am hoping the first camp will give me an opportunity. I have also been working very hard on my Italian so hopefully the Italian speakers will understand me. Unfortunately the camp falls right over Thanksgiving so I am going to have to miss it! Even if the Italians did celebrate Thanksgiving Ferretti would still want to hold the camp at this time to make sure we don't eat too many slices of that pumpkin pie!
The last thing that is going on right now is next weekend I am launching two weeks of fundraising for my scholarship foundation at Fort Lewis College. It begins on November 22 and runs through December 5. During that time there will be an online auction held through my site, www.tomdanielson.com. The auction will consist of two Team Saturn race bikes I used this year, some autographed jerseys (with a leader's jersey or two in there), some Oakley glasses and shoes, and some nice casual wear that my generous sponsors provided. All proceeds from this auction go directly to the scholarship foundation, which aims to help develop collegiate cyclists at my alma mater, Fort lewis College.
Also, on December 2, there will be a "Night With the Legends" presented by the Durango Wheel Club. On hand will be Bob Roll, John Tomac, Ruthie Matthes, Ned Overend, Sara Ballantyne, Greg Herbold, and myself. It is a night where each speaker will provide stories as well as training tips with competitive insights. All proceeds from this event will also go to the foundation. To cap the two weeks off, a press conference will be held up at Fort Lewis College on December 8 to officially launch this scholarship. The accomplishments and goals of the foundation will be presented to the faculty and school administration with USA Cycling CEO Gerard Bisceglia also in attendance.
Well, that's really what I've been up to! I hope everyone one is enjoying the fall and getting ready for the winter.
Happy Thanksgiving and eat all that turkey that I can't!
Tom
