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Up for the challenge: The Tom Danielson Giro diary 2006
With victory in the Tour de Georgia and a top 10 ride at the Vuelta a España, 2005 saw Tom Danielson come of age.
Now one of Discovery's leaders, the likable American climbing specialist will be looking to realise the full extent of his incredible stage race potential. But before he addresses a few personal goals, there's the not-so-minor matter of helping Paolo Savoldelli achieve his third victory at the Giro d'Italia in May. Follow his progress on Cyclingnews.
Stage 4 - Tuesday, May 9: Wanze - Hotton, 193 km
In the right place, at the right time
A lot of yesterday was positioning, and I was just fortunate to be in the right position at the right time. It was a pretty chaotic finish; the cobbles were really slippery and before the cobbles it was insane.
And that climb didn't suit me very well - that sort of power and explosive type of climb is really bad for me. But I want to be a Grand Tour rider some day and they put these things in the races, so it's my responsibility to be there; I'm happy to be there, but it's such a long race and we have a long ways to go.
Savoldelli, he did fantastic; he didn't lose any time - he actually gained more time on everyone else - so all missions accomplished yesterday. For Paolo to be seven seconds in front of most of GC contenders, it shows he's in fantastic condition. He knows this race better than anyone, and I think he'll be very, very good at the end of the race.
I think I'm improving, getting into the right position before the climbs. Yesterday showed I'm improving; it's not as easy as just saying 'Stay in the front and be safe' - it's a matter of being efficient with your energy, so for me, to be at the front and be efficient was very important. I mean, these first couple of weeks are very, very hard, but any energy you can save and still accomplish the job is a bonus. So for me right now, it's just trying to be at the front and be there as effortlessly as possible.
Today, the team plan is the same as yesterday - keep out of trouble and save the team for the team time trial. I think that's an excellent race for us and I'm really excited to see how it works out, so we'll see...
Ciao,
Tom
