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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: September 14, 2005
Feeling good on the run home
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Well, it's been a testing few days. I had some sort of stomach virus at the end of last week and that made things harder for a while. I struggled through that but came out feeling strong in the end. So I think that's a big accomplishment; to be able to fight that off and stay consistent and remain in the top ten. I was really happy finishing strong on the mountain stage a couple of days ago, so it has been good.
Although being sick was hard, in a funny way it's good for my morale because I know that in the future I can get through problems and come out stronger.
The tactics for the next few days are to continue being conservative, as the main goal is to get to Madrid. I am still in the top ten so we have something to fight for; the team will work at helping me with that. There are still some mountains to come but I think it'd be better for me to be conservative rather than aggressive because I want to do a good time trial and finish strongly in Madrid. I don't want to take any chances. The finishes are quite some way from the final climbs so it doesn't make much sense to go on the attack, especially as Liberty will make a strong race.
I'll just have to pay attention to the guys around me and they'll have to do likewise, because they need to finish strong too. If they do something aggressive they could pay for it; it's late in the race so I am sure everyone is tired. You have to be careful because if you spend too much energy, you'll pay for it later.
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I've never been at this point of a three week tour so I can't be totally confident of holding onto my top ten place overall. But for sure I am very, very excited to be where I am and to be finishing strong. I have my focus and I'm going to work hard to get there.
This has all been about finding out what I am capable of as everything is very new in my career. Okay, my age is one thing, but as a racer I'm not as physically developed as another 27 year old guy might be. I have a lot to learn and I have a long way to go. I feel that I have another 10 years to work on my career - some guys stop at 33 or 34, but I think that based on how my body is maturing, I'll probably go on until I am close to 40.
I'm very happy with my team. I'd like to grow with these guys and with Johann and Dirk and the staff. I'm very excited with how this race has turned out, and believe that with more years on the team and with more experience, my body is just going to get stronger. I think that if I keep working hard, I can focus on my ultimate goal of doing well in the Tour de France.
Thanks for reading,
Tom
Stage 12 results
Stage 13 results
Stage 14 results
Stage 15 results
Stage 16 results