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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 19, 2005
A break from salads and steaks…for now
Hi there Cyclingnews readers,
Well, the Vuelta is all over. I got to Madrid safely in eighth place so I'm really happy with that. Yesterday's stage was okay; it was nice and relaxing and fun not to have to race at 60km/h for six hours! We rode to Madrid at a reasonable pace, having a bit of fun, and then the real racing started on the finishing circuits, the world championship course. That was a bit chaotic and, of course, with it being the first final day of a Grand Tour for me, I was extremely nervous. Luckily Michael, who has been with me since the start of the race, Benjamin and Stijn all helped out so it was fine. I generally feel very confident with these guys around me. Michael made sure I was in a good position for the whole worlds course - in fact, he will be racing the world championships for Canada here at the weekend. He was looking very strong so I am excited to see how he does on Sunday.
As regards my impression of the course, it's a lot harder than people think it is. There are a couple of short climbs on it…thing is, if you were to just go and ride your bike they aren't so hard, but when there are a lot of guys, a high speed and a few corners before and after the climbs, it's going to be tough. And the finish is difficult too - you come down this really fast downhill with a wide road, and then, with 500 metres to go, you have a hard turn. It's a 180 degree bend, so basically you have the whole peloton kerb-to-kerb going into the corner, hopefully without any crashes, and then you sprint to the finish.
In terms of who should do well there, Petacchi has impressed me throughout the whole Vuelta. He finished the race, he was always looking smooth on the climbs and he had a strong team with him. Zabel also looks very good, but I think Petacchi is the guy. I reckon it will be a small group of 30 riders at the finish - he will be there.
Anyway, back to yesterday. I felt incredible emotions when I got across the finish line. It's for sure my biggest achievement in cycling. It was a long race and a great year, and so the first thing I thought about was how happy I was to be with Discovery Channel, to be part of such a fantastic team with Johan, Dirk, Lance and Michael, and everyone who has helped me this year to learn. I was very happy…happy to have a good race and also happy to have found such a good home. I also thought about my wife Kristin, who supported me from back home and my friend Frank from Durango, who came here to be with me for the whole Vuelta. I owe all these people a big thank you, and that is what I felt when I came across the line.
We didn't do anything wild after the race; I just had dinner in the hotel with the team and Frank. It was a quiet evening, but I got to hang with Johan and the team and just celebrate the last month of incredible work. I was pretty tired anyway, so I just wanted to relax and enjoy it.
I'm sure some of you will be wondering what my plans are for the rest of the season. Well, I'm finished now! I'm going home to have a big party in Durango, with all my friends and family - I'm excited about that! The plan is that I will do some mountainbiking and get ready for next season. I am already very motivated for next year; I think it's going to be pretty exciting. So when I was talking to Johan last night, I said to him "okay, what do we do for next year, when do we start working? I'm pretty keen!
It's nice to finish up on a high note as that helps with your motivation during the off-season. Now I'm going to relax a little bit. We have been eating the exact same meals for the last 27 days…I was talking to the guys about that. We've had the same salads, the same steaks for almost a month. It will be good to eat something normal for once - burritos and stuff like that - makes a nice change!
Anyway, that's my last update for now. I've got to head back to Girona and get ready for my flight back to the US this week.
Thanks for reading during the Vuelta,
Tom