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Hitting the big time: The Allan Davis Journal 2003
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Welcome to the Allan Davis Journal for 2003. The ex-Mapei espoir has finally hit the big time with a two year contract on Spain's number one team, ONCE-Eroski. Six years with the Australian Institute of Sport has groomed young Allan from a national track champion to a cunning road rider and a potential Classics superstar. Follow Allan as he embarks on the ride of his life.
ONCE Training Camp, El Bosque, Spain
First win and first impressions
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Hi everybody,
At the moment I am in the middle of a training camp at a place called El Bosque in southern Spain. After finishing the Vuelta Mallorca [now called Challenge Illes Balears] last Thursday were I was lucky enough to get my first victory for the season for me and my new team ONCE-Eroski.
Following my crash on the second last stage of the Vuelta Mallorca when I had a chance of doing well on the final classification, I have learnt from my mistake to take it a bit easier on the roads around Mallorca. After seeing riders crashing uphill simply because their front wheel went out from underneath them, I should have known better too take it a little bit easier on the descents.
Now it is time too get to know everybody involved with the team. It is not often the whole team is in one place at the same time, so it has been great getting to know the guys and all the other stuff that comes with a new team as well.
So far, I could not be happier with ONCE-Eroski - the team works like one big family, which is how Manolo Saiz [directeur sportif] likes the team to run. There is always laughter which is great for morale.
In fact, on the last night of the Mallorca race, I found out what new riders in the team have too go through for initiation (they call it "team tradition"). I had to dance on the stage of the hotel lobby where there was a band playing and about 80 people watching!
The rest of the guys were telling us all week we had to do this dance, so Koldo Gil, Alberto Contador and I - the new riders on the team - had a talk about what to do. We decided to do a striptease dance, but not all the way - we put our cycling clothes underneath our tracksuits!
And that is what we did: just the three of us on stage dancing with the band playing in the background. Like I said, the team is always full of laughter when the time is right.
My next Race is Ruta Ciclista Del Sol beginning on the 16th of February.
That's about it for the time being, all the best.
Regards,
Allan Davis
