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Team TIAA-CREF - 2005
Team Journal Entry - July 14, 2005, by Timmy Duggan
More adventures in Europe
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A couple days after a solid ride at the USPRO Championships in Philadelphia, and after chowing down a world famous Philly cheese steak, of course, me and the TIAA-CREF traveling circus made our way over to France a bit early to rest up, wear off the jet lag, and get a couple good training days in before the UCI 2.1 Route de Sud. One of our team sponsors, Velo Sport vacations, has set up shop in Maulecene, France, at the base of the infamous Mt. Ventoux. They set us up with some rustic yet functional and relaxing accommodations. We were all holed up for the week at a farm in a renovated barn, all 10 of us in one room, plus a giant hamster type rodent, an enormous toad, and a scorpion.
After training we'd pass the time with a slightly x-rated version of Scrabble, as that was the only form of off-bike entertainment available. Kinda reminded me of Boy Scout camp or something. The riding was incredible; some of the coolest riding I've ever done. One day we did an epic six hour slog in the mountains, going fast on the climbs and motorpacing in the valleys, followed the next day be me, Will, and Dan riding Mt. Ventoux with a few intervals mixed in to warm up our legs for the upcoming race. That climb is pretty solid - it's over 20km long, always between 8 and 10% gradient. Until last year, our director Jonathan Vaughters held the record on it!
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The next day we drove five hours to the Route du Sud start town. We only got lost twice, and hit two cars, a barrier, and a toll gate on the way, but we made it. The first two days didn't go so hot...we missed the break as the race careened through the hills and narrow roads of the Pyrenean foothills at a blistering pace. Things turned around a bit for me in the stage 3 time trial, a 31km endeavour in roasting heat on a course with hardly any flat and some crazy descending. Yee ha!
With Jonathan behind me in the car yelling into my ear on the radio, I rode my self sufficiently into the ground to muster up a very solid 14th place finish amongst a solid ProTour field, only a minute and a half behind French Champion Didier Rous. The final day was an epic mountain stage in the Pyrenees, with four category 1 climbs in the final 100 km of the race. I really wanted to be in the break that day, to have a big ride out front and show myself a bit.
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After some great TIAA-CREF team work in the chaotic opening kilometres, I ended up in a breakaway of 12 riders, gaining over four minutes by the base of the first climb. My group split up on the first climb as Giro top 10 rider Patrice Halgand and his Credit Agricole teammate lit up the pace on the first epic mountain pass. I hung with them as long as I could over the next climb, but ultimately dropped back to the rest of the break. Too bad, because Halgand ended up winning the stage! Needless to say, I was pretty cooked as I climbed the Col du Portillon and was caught by the group of GC leaders coming up from behind. It was so hot here the tar on the road was melting.
Well, another big time Euro race under the belt. And apparently it wasn't enough for me, so after a very tough stage race, a six hour drive, three hours sleep, 15 hours of flying, and a lot of sitting around in airports, one day later I'm sitting on the start ramp of the Elite National TT Championships in Utah hoping to pull an unexpected result out of my super jet-lagged, lactic acid-filled sleep-deprived body. Wish me luck. But either way, a couple days after that I will be sitting on a houseboat at Lake Powell with beer in hand enjoying a well deserved little break from racing with my friends and family before the second half of the season starts up again.
Thanks for your support,
Timmy
(www.justgoharder.com)
Stage 1 results
Stage 2 results
Stage 3 results
Stage 4 results
