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A new start: The Tom Danielson diary 2005
After his ill-fated stint with Fassa Bortolo in 2004, likable American climbing specialist Tom Danielson looks to have found a more conducive home for 2005 with Lance Armstrong's Discovery Channel team. Follow his diary on Cyclingnews as he rides alongside the Boss as part of Discovery's ProTour arsenal.
Vuelta a Espana: August 30, 2005
Feeling strong at the Vuelta
Hi Cyclingnews readers,
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Well, I am a few days into the Vuelta and everything has been going really well so far. We have a really strong team here at the race so that has made it a lot less stressful. Things have been a lot better because of that. I think the overall morale of the team has been really good, too, so that also helps.
I was really, really happy with my ride in the prologue [fifth]. I still have a lot to learn in time trials and things like that, but for a short event such as that I can't really ask for much better, for now. In the future I'd like to do more, but for this race and for that kind of prologue, I was happy with how it turned out.
I thought the hill was really good. When I raced the prologue I actually went too slow on the hill and faster at the end. I was just being too conservative because I thought that the hill would take a lot more out of me than it did! I actually lost time on the climb and gained time on the flat part; normally with my characteristics and strengths I should be able to gain on the hill. But Johann and Dirk watched my whole ride and they've brought a load of things to my attention to correct in the future. I'll just keep working hard and improve.
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The climb at the end of the second stage worked out well. I saw it on the map beforehand and my room-mate Michael [Barry] told me that it is one of the most difficult stages, because it is a real fight for the climb. The climb itself wasn't so steep and hard, but the pace was really fast and it was important to be near the front. I was real happy to be able to do things right and start the hill at the front - it was an accomplishment for me.
Once onto the climb, I felt very good. There is a lot more of the race to come, though. My plan is to continue to take it as I have been doing, looking at it just one day at a time. That said, it's encouraging that I felt so strong.
Off the bike, we are spending our time listening to the ipod and trying to relax. We're listening to soothing songs, music by artists such as Beth Orton. This Vuelta is a long race, and for me I am completely new to all of it. On a day like today when there are wind and sprint finishes, I get a bit more tense than the other guys. So it's really important that I unwind as much as I can at night in order to save my energy for the next day.
Anyway, on that note it's time for some sleep!
Tom
Stage 1 results
Stage 2 results
Stage 3 results
Stage 4 results