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This year looks like being a crucial one for talented American rider Tom Danielson as he moves from the now-defunct Saturn team to Fassa Bortolo. After a 2003 season that saw him win the Tour de Langkawi and defend his Mt Washington hill-climb title, the latter part of his season was marred by injury. After spending the off-season fixing those injuries he has high hopes for a 2004 with the top team in the world. He also hopes to master the Italian keyboard!
Mt Evans Hill Climb and Tour of Portugal
Record breaker
Hello Cyclingnews fans!
Wow, how about the Olympic road races! Incredible is the only word to describe it. Watching Eurosport from my Italian villa, I cheered everyone I knew on. The USA Team, both men and women, were very strong. All of them looked good. It seemed like Bobby Julich was never more than four people back and in almost every move. In the women's race I was really rooting for Lyne Bessette (Johnson) as she is my fiancée Kristin's friend in the peloton as well as the wife of my buddy, Tim Johnson. She seemed on great form but had some back luck when a rider at the front decided to look over her shoulder and crossed wheels. She crashed, taking Lyne down with her. It was very unfortunate as I was really pulling for her.
Besides watching bike racing on TV, I am actually recovering from my own bike racing. I just finished two races, Mt. Evans and the Tour of Portugal. Mt. Evans I had my eye on for some time, while the Tour of Portugal was just for training. One was winter weather conditions; the other was 110 degree heat. They were very different races on very different continents that I completed within three days of each other. Not an easy task to say the least!
38th Bob Cook Memorial Mt Evans Hill Climb - NE, Colorado, USA, July 24, 2004
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This Mt. Evans was everything plus more the legend says it is. It is a beast of a climb, going from some 7000 feet to above 14,000 ft in 28 miles. It was kinda like going from reality to the moon all within two hours. But if there is a road going up a mountain (that maybe shouldn't be there a.k.a Mt. Washington!), then why not have a race up it?
Hey, it is human nature to hurt ourselves so it is perfect to go up a steep road with no oxygen! I had never raced it before, but that is my strategy, as maybe if I had known how tough it was, then I would have been a bit more conservative. However, I did do some research and planning. Knowing the altitude factor, I began preparation by training four times a week in the high mountain passes near Durango, Colorado. I trained up and down passes such as Coal Bank, Molas, and Red Mountain Pass. At night, I would sleep close to the altitude of Mt. Evans using my CAT altitude tent. Kristin would join me during this mission, even in the tent at night. They have really perfected these things as both of us were never uncomfortable at night.
I also studied past races up Mt. Evans. I wanted to see how the raced played out according to weather, number of top-level competitors, and team strategy. I had found out that when the record was set, Coors Light drilled it as a team. This was because of the grade at the bottom of the climb (the first 9 miles) is close to flat.
So, I got my own team. Who? Well, first I thought about bringing some Fassa guys over. But, then I thought clearly Ferretti would not buy it, sending a team over for a two-hour race. See, he is always crunching numbers. "$5,000 in plan tickets... two hours of racing... that is basically $2,500 per hour... hmmmm... no."
I asked around FLC cycling for some guys. Everyone had there own goals at the race, so it didn't seem appealing to them to sacrifice themselves for 20 minutes and then drop out. My train idea looked bleak until my wing-man (training partner, website designer, squawk partner, and tequilas chicken burrito destroyer), Mike Wilk, stepped forward. Sure, it was only one guy, but this is not one ordinary guy. I like to call him my "army of one"; sort of the Durango version of Eric Wohlberg. Tougher then nails, strong in any weather condition (rain, snow, heat, you name it), and equipped with gargs (large muscular structures in place of calves).
So, now that I did my training, homework, and found my team, I was ready to take on the race record, right?
Well, wrong. There were two major obstacles I would have to overcome. The first one was the winter storm conditions on the mountain that day, and the second was a stiff line-up of competition. Mother nature had decided to throw a curveball at the race with 44 degree temps (F) at the bottom and sub-30 at the top. Add in zero visibility, rain with occasional flurries, a bit of wind, and to say the least, the conditions sucked (sorry, Mike Creed said I am too positive in my journals and need to be a bit more negative... this is my effort Mike).
Then I had the competition. Scott Moninger was on great form and is always the man to beat. There is no one better in any climbing, or altitude race, or in a race with climbing at altitude. He had won countless races this year and for sure was the man to watch. In addition to Scott, the dynamic climbing duo of Drew Miller and Scott Price was on hand. Drew is one force to reckon with anytime to the road goes uphill! Mike Creed, just off his "blood, sweat, and piss" dramatic victory at the Cascade Classic, was also on hand to make matters very difficult for me.
The race started and Wilk drilled it at the front. He did a great job, but doing the job of eight is never easy. Just as Wilk tired, Creed threw in a vicious attack. Everyone sat up and Creed would get a good gap. As the climb kicked up, I knew I had to go as the pace had been a bit too slow on the flat section and because of the weather conditions, I needed to give it 100 percent if I wanted this record. So I did, in fact I gave it 110 percent.
I thought of motivational things Kristin and I spoke of the night before. I was also very motivated to be racing in the "home" country and wanted this record very badly. When I crossed the line I saw 1:41:10. I couldn't believe it, not after the day that I went through. I was very happy to say the least, but had very little time to celebrate as I had to catch a plane to Portugal in five hours. I called Kristin via cell phone (she was in Altoona, PA getting ready for Tour de 'Toona) and shared the news. She was shocked as she had flown out early that morning and thought the race would be canceled due to the weather. Then, I was off to Europe where my next test would be waiting.
66th Volta a Portugal - 2.2, Portugal, July 29-August 7, 2004
Beam me up Scotty! Ah, yes, now I was in a whole new land faster than I could think. When I arrived in Portugal I heard the news Lance had just won six TdF's! Of course I had followed the Tour very closely on TV (in fact, climbing passes that afternoon, pretending I was Lance!) and new he was going to win, but it was a relief to hear nothing went wrong. That guy was simply amazing. I know first hand how difficult it is over here, and what he did is unimaginable. Not just the climbing and the TT'ing, but how he was always where he needed to be at the right time. A champion backed with a champion team behind him. Well done!
Oh yeah, now I am racing in Portugal with 150 super-human Portudroids (these Portuguese guys who are basically super human at every aspect of bike racing). Then throw in 110 degree temps, crazy courses, jet-lag... so hard. I had to take it easy in the race as my goals are in September, and if I "raced" this race, my season would be over now.
Each day it was four hours or motor pacing behind these Portudroids. I tried my best to stay out of the red each day, but with some days with eight or more categorized climbs, that was not easy. Luckily, my friend Tim Johnson (who by the way was looking very strong!) was at the race with me with Saunier Duval. I don't remember much for the race, as it was so fast and crazy. However, my few but best memories were being wide awake at 3am, goose bumps at the end of each stage in the heat, and going uphill when Tim pulls up next to me and says, "Hey, look down at your computer, 62k an hour uphill!"
Yes, a very hard race for a number of reasons. But as the race went on, and the jet-lag wore off, I started to get stronger. The last four days were the best for me. Riding in a breakaway all day and covering 340 million attacks (it felt like it) at the end of Stage 7, making the front group of 10, only to get dropped out of it on an insane descent on Stage 8, attacking 12k from the finish and coming within 3k from the victory on Stage 9, and then to cap it off a 7th place in the 31k TT on the 10th and final stage. The Tour of Portugal was a very difficult race, but a race that I raced very smartly and came out of stronger.
Now I am getting ready to head up north to two one-day races in Italy. I am hoping to show good form there and continue my upward progress. Back in the US, Kristin rode an outstanding race in Altoona, climbing with the world's best and finishing 15th overall for Team Basis/Ford. Had she not flatted at the finish on the second day, it would have been a top-10 finish in one of the world's most prestigious women's races. Well done babe, I am so proud of you. I really miss her so much and can't wait for October 23rd, the day we get married!
Major congratulations are in order for Mr. Todd Wells who not only made the US Olympic Team this past month, but backed it up with his first ever NORBA National win in Aspen, CO. Well done!
I better get going as this is almost a book, but thank you for reading. I am very happy to be a part of the Cyclingnews.com team and I will keep you up to date on my progress as I push to reach a new level in the world of professional cycling.
Ciao,
Tom