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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 31, 2005
A little bit nervous
Hi Cyclingnews readers,
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Well, today was pretty good - we had Michael Barry in the break. It was good for our team because it put pressure on the other teams to chase. We were hoping for a stage win because he was probably the strongest guy in the group. However, he was high on GC and Francaise des Jeux were motivated to keep McGee in the jersey, so they chased hard and never gave the break more than four minutes. But he rode strongly and it was good for the team to have his presence there!
Behind, it was sort of nervous for us all day, with the teams chasing and the possibility of some crosswinds. The peloton was shifting a lot and it was all a bit nervous. Then, as we got closer to the final cobbled climb to the town, the fighting for position got really aggressive - it was quite a battle getting into the right spot. I had some help from the team and started the climb in a good position. I made it over the top in the front split, feeling pretty good, and was happy because I heard it's quite a hassle to get into position before that climb. As you can see, most of the sprinters got over the climb because it's really 110 percent about positioning. So basically as a climber or a GC rider, you can only lose time on this stage...you can't really gain anything.
I felt good today. It's so hard to tell, though...you're in the peloton and the pace is changing all that time. I don't think that anyone feels like they are riding without a chain, but I felt comfortable on the climb. I thought I'd have a lot more trouble because normally I'm not good at 1.5 kilometre climbs, especially on cobbles and at such high speed. But I felt good on that and felt good in the final too.
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The first two days were definitely very hot. Today was a bit cooler. I have been paying a lot of attention to drinking, keeping hydrated and eating a lot. I know that if you give up a little energy in these first stages, you might need it towards the end of the race. So for sure I was paying a lot of attention to that.
I'm happy with how things have gone so far. For me, these are probably the hardest stages. When I opened the book and saw the course profile, stage two and today's stage made me the most nervous. Any time you see a little bump like that with a downhill to the finish, there will be a big fight for position beforehand. That's something I've struggled with, just being new here.
For me, I'm very happy that the team has taught me a lot and helped me a lot. I'm starting to improve my positioning, and it couldn't be at a better time because I feel like it's the thing that has been holding me back the most. I feel better and I enjoy the riding a lot more when I can accomplish things like that. It's definitely easier when I am not starting climbs 80 people back and trying to move up!
Finally, it is great to see that my team-mate Roger Hammond won the second stage in the Tour of Britain. That's a good result, especially as it's his home event!
Until the next time,
Tom