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6th Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under - 2.3
Australia, January 20-25, 2004
Rider Diaries
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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.
Stage 3 - January 22: Goolwa - Victor Harbor, 150 km
Champagne tonight!
It's fast! Today was fast from the gun, and the first attack came after just one kilometre. It felt like we had a crosswind coming at us all the time, no matter what direction the road went in, and it didn't seem to matter how hard I tried to find myself a good position in the echelon, I'd just end up at the back either way.
As soon as I got in to the gruppetto, it got more pleasant, I must admit. We were quite a big group of riders, riding at a comfortable speed, and I think I made some new friends. It was also a bit disappointing of course, that I ended up in the gruppetto, rather than with the front group, because no matter how many times Marc tells me that the pressure is off, I still want to be a part of the race.
While talking about speed, I should mention that despite the pure fact that these guys are going a whole lot faster than for example a group of amateurs, it's also a matter of the time they are doing that. When you are riding with amateurs, you might find them riding really fast for five kilometres, while these guys will do the same, only five times longer. This race might not be the best way to discover the actual speed of the professional peloton though, because it is still very early in the year, and a lot of riders are not really fit yet. I think there's still more to come!
One thing that I'm grateful for though, is the discipline in the peloton. There are still some accidents of course, but nothing like what you might come across in the amateur ranks. Today was also nice in the way that everyone seemed to understand that they were in a gruppetto, and sat up and took it easy instead of attacking from there.
Also on the pleasant side, tonight we'll all have champagne because of my teammate Gilbert's win today. They seem to be crazy about champagne, and as soon as they can come up with the tiniest excuse to celebrate, they will. It's nice in a way though, that you get that kind of credit when you have gone ahead and done something good. It makes you feel more appreciated than if you just got a pat on your back.
Today's stage was pretty special. For being in Australia, it was very cold, but the landscape was just amazing. I felt as if we were in the middle of nowhere, and when you saw some places, it felt like nothing had happened there since...well, since last time. It was truly rural. A bit like what you would expect to see after having followed "The Flying Doctors" on TV in Sweden. We even rode on dirt roads for a bit.
Tomorrow I'm hoping for better legs, which is a possibility, since my group rode pretty easy at the end of the race today. Even though tomorrow's stage starts with rather big climbs, I'm excited about it. I'm looking forward to getting in there!
I'll keep you updated.
