| TDU Home |
| Races & Results |
| Live coverage |
| Startlist |
| Photos |
| News |
| Features |
| Diaries |
| Map |
| 2003 Results |
| Official Site |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
6th Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under - 2.3
Australia, January 20-25, 2004
Rider Diaries
 |
The Chronicles of Thomas Lövkvist
Nationality: Swedish
Team: FDJeux.com
19 year-old Thomas Lövkvist is a new signing for the successful FDJeux.com team, and has come to Australia to race with the team for the first time. Although not inexperienced with races of the same calibre as the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under, this is the first time he is starting a 2.3 category race as a part of a first division team.
Stages 1-2: A nervous start
Hello again,
|
On Tuesday before the start of the first stage, I must admit that I was pretty nervous. My legs didn't feel that great either, they were a bit heavy, so I tried to get a good warm up before to see if the legs would come around. Once the race was under way, I started to feel a little bit better and more relaxed. A lot of people behaved like they were pretty nervous too, and maybe they were, thinking that it was their first race of the season. I wouldn't go as far as saying that it wasn't a hard race, but at least I felt like perhaps I could play a part. I got surprised though, as in the last lap, everyone suddenly sped up and went on to fight it out in a sprint. I couldn't quite figure out what they were sprinting for? Best guy in the gruppetto perhaps?
Before we were about to head out today for stage 2, I felt much more relaxed and was able to take things more easy. As soon as the race was off, two breaks went up the road, and they eventually lasted. We took it pretty easy until Checker Hill, where the peloton started to speed up. It's a fairly short, but very steep climb, but I think I did alright. I was actually quite good. After that climb the speed was changing between laid back and pretty fast for a while, before the bunch finally split up into those smaller bunches.
My team hasn't really told me that I should do this or that, they have said that I can do whatever I can, and that I shouldn't feel any pressure. Well, I want to race! Sure, I can sit on my arse, but that's not going to take me anywhere or teach me anything. My legs felt pretty good too, so I ended up riding tempo at the front. Finally they ordered us to attack, but right then McEwen attacked so we had to go flat out after him.
|
After that my legs started to hurt, and I had to sit up a little. I was able to get back on pretty soon, but I mustn't have been very clear in my head at that moment, because I drove off the road into the gravel and blew a tire. There was nothing more for me to do than take my wheel off, holding it up. Somehow I managed to get back once again, but I had to sit at the back for some time, gasping for air, before I once again hit the front for some more work. My legs were aching pretty bad by that time, and it was interesting how I absolutely couldn't get out of the saddle on the climbs. That was just too painful.
My teammate Philippe Gilbert took over the U23 jersey today, and I am just seven seconds behind it myself. The U23 jersey isn't really that of such importance though and I think the team agrees on that. We will not actively ride to protect it, but since all the other young guys are 28 minutes behind us, I think we have a pretty good chance of keeping the jersey in the team. The others would have to do a whole lot of gruppetto sprints to catch us!
Talk to you after tomorrow's stage.
Thomas
Photography
Images by Jean-Francois Quenet
- Thomas Lövkvist before the start of the first stage
- Thomas Lövkvist with Norwegian Mads Kaggestad
- Thomas Lövkvist getting back onto the peloton in stage 2
- Thomas Lövkvist in action during stage 2
