[updated May 8, 2012]
Rory Sutherland, UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling, won the 6.7 mile uphill finish to the ghost town of Mogollon on Wednesday after a 92 mile day over the rolling Gila Wilderness high desert roads outside of Silver City, New Mexico. It’s a win he needed to bolster his aspirations for a great performance in the upcoming Amgen Tour of California.
The fourth break-away attempt succeeded with Paul Mach of Kenda/5 Hour Energy p/b Geargrinder and Adam Carr of the Canadian team Ekoi.com – GASPESIEN.
Paul Mach rode off the front with break-mate Adam Carr, with a maximum lead of about 4 min 35 seconds until 30K from the finish (photo by Mary Topping)
One man decided to strike out on his own after the two-man break got underway. Colin Gibson, who rides for the Hagens Berman team, intended to pick up sprint points. He earned one point in the first sprint on the stage before dropping back to the shelter of the peloton.
Colin Gibson left the pack and rode in between it and the 2-man break early in the race (photo by Mary Topping)
Riders spent the day in the open. The race’s notorious winds kicked up occasionally but didn’t split the field before the last climb.
Competitors like Matt Cooke on Team Exergy and Taylor Shelden of Competitive Cyclist — who will no doubt pull at the front of the peloton throughout the race to support his team leader Francisco Mancebo, explained that what makes the Mogollon difficult is the transition onto the climb after “not really racing all day.”
Main field on stage one, close to the start of the Mogollon climb (photo by Mary Topping)
The real action took place as expected on the road up to Mogollon where the field split due to mesa crosswinds and the work of the UnitedHealthcare team.
Mogollon climb: Rory Sutherland, Chris Baldwin, Sebastian Salas, Chad Beyer, Marc de Maar, Tyler Wren (photo by Mary Topping)
The riders crossed the finish line clearly at their limits. A salty-faced Shelden described his Mogollon experience; working for Mancebo, he could only say what happened half-way up the first section of the climb: “After we made the right turn, Mike Olheiser was on the front and took it to where it kicked up. I did most of the climb [to the plateau] and after that we were gone.”
Cooke participated in the lead group until the plateau. Both he and Ben Day of UnitedHealthcare mentioned the crosswinds always blow on the flatter section before the final climb. “You can either hang on or you can’t,” Cooke said. “The crosswind was just too strong. I got blown off. After that I recovered and I kept riding hard. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t very good either.”
Joe Dombrowski (Bontrager-Livestrong) after crossing the line for second on stage 1 (photo by Mary Topping)
Here’s a story I wrote for The Roar about Sutherland’s win and his aspirations for the Amgen Tour of California.
Stage 1 pro riders’ results
[updated 5/1/2012]
From Denver the road to Silver City, New Mexico and the Tour of the Gila road race either flashes down Interstate 25 or meanders through a variety of places. Like Taos. With its colorful pottery, desert-themed sculpture, and palette of sages and terra cottas, Taos and the state of New Mexico are feasts for the eyes. Add a UCI 2.2 America Tour bike race starting on May 1st, and the landscape provides everything anyone could need.
SRAM Tour of the Gila overview
The pro men and women race five stages: three road races, one individual time trial, and one criterium.
Expect wind. Phil Gaimon (Kenda/5 Hr Energy p/b Geargrinder) and others have said strong winds blew in last year’s race, in particular, on the time trial course. Weather.com predicts 15 to 21 mph winds from the west this week and temperatures in the low 80’s Farenheit with 0% chance of rain. All at an elevation of about 6,000 ft.
- Day 1, May 2: Road race, Silver City to Mogollon — 92/73 miles (men/women). A downhill start, short / steep rollers, with a decisive 6.7 mile Category 1 climb to the finish. 4,250 ft. total climbing for the men and 3,800 ft. of ascent for the women. Francisco Mancebo (RealCyclist.com) and Mara Abbott (Diadora-Pasta Zara-Manhattan) won this stage last year.
- Day 2, May 3: Road race, The Inner Loop — 79/78 miles. Three category 3 climbs for 5,800 ft. total climbing with a straight finish on a slightly rising road may result in a select or mass sprint finish; the last climb tops out about 12 miles from the finish. This stage’s title reflects the name of the scenic byway it traces, The Inner Loop-Gila Cliff Dwellings Scenic Byway. The race passes the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
- Day 3, May 4: Dan Potts Memorial Tyrone ITT — 16/16 miles. An out-and-back up-and-down course with 1,200 ft. of climbing suited to a rider who’s strong in time trials with some climbing skills. Wind and equipment choice could factor into results.
- Day 4, May 5: Criterium, Downtown Silver City — 43/27 miles. A 1 mile rectangle with 80 ft. of climing per lap and slightly uphill finish should produce a mass sprint — another one for Bissell’s Eric Young who just won the Joe Martin Stage Race criterium?
- Day 5, May 6: Road race, Gila Monster — 104/72 miles. 8,060 ft. total climbing for the men and 5,600 ft. of ascent for the women. The last bit before the finish is uphill after a Category 3 hill. Two Category 2, one Category 1, and two Category 3 climbs for the men; the women tackle two Category 3’s and one Category 2 climb.
Winning magicians
This is the first year the Gila has UCI status. The points it brings riders and their teams could intensify the battles; the pro-conti teams like Champion System, Team Type 1, and UnitedHealthcare might be especially aggressive.
Taos gate
New Mexico’s a magical place. Remember the book, The Milagro Beanfield Wars? Read it if you haven’t already. First, it’s classic New Mexico. Second, it reminds you that anything is possible in life — and that applies to bike races, too.
So while Jade Wilcoxson (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Mancebo merit the label “favorite” — fresh off overall victories at the hilly Joe Martin and the latter having won the Gila last year — a surprise winner is always a satisfying result.
Tyler Wren (Jamis-Sutter Home) came in second on day 1 last year. And Jeff Louder and Ben Day (UnitedHealthcare) know how to attack a hilly stage race too. Shawn Milne (Kenda) and Matt Cooke (Exergy) are also riding well and could pull off good results, as well as Chris Butler (Champion System). And don’t count out Juan Esteban Arango on the Colombian National Team; he left Joe Martin with ninth place. Last year’s third place finisher for the ladies, Kathryn Donovan (FCS|ROUSE p/b Mr. Restore), could wield some magic across the New Mexico landscape.
Who are your favorites for this year’s SRAM Tour of the Gila?
Follow Tour of the Gila with Tour Tracker.
2012 Tour of the Gila Starters Men
2012 Tour of the Gila Starters Women
2011 Top 3 Women General Classification
- Clara Huges (Pactimo Cycling Team)
- Mara Abbott (Diadora-Pasta Zara Team + 2:52
- Kathryn Donovan (Missing Link Coaching Systems) +3:15
2011 Top 3 Men General Classification
- Francisco Mancebo (Realcyclist.com)
- Dale Parker (Trek-LIVESTRONG) + 3:17
- Lachlan Morton (Chipotle Development team) + 3:19
This weekend a mountain bike race called the Whiskey 50 got underway in Prescott, Arizona. It’s known as the richest purse in mountain biking for the pro riders, with equal prize money for the men and the women that pays from 1st through 10th places.
Last year’s men’s and women’s results:
- 1 Chris Sheppard 03:05
- 2 Colin Cares 03:09
- 3 Jay Henry 03:11
- 1 Pua Mata 03:30
- 2 Catharine Pendrel 03:31
- 3 Kelli Emmett 03:31
This year Colombian national mountain bike team member Hector Fernando Riveros Paez, who rides for a team called Bandwagon Racing out of Colorado Springs, will race in the Whiskey 50. I should be interviewing Hector Riveros, which is how he registers for races, post Whiskey 50, for Pikes Peak Sports.
Riveros is really good. He recently won Voodoo Fire in Pueblo which is a 66 mile MTB endurance race. So perhaps the interview will include something about how he won the Whiskey 50 this year. Ever optimistic, yes.
Enjoy a taste of Whiskey 50 single track and downtown Prescott in this video prepared by the race.
Also check out interviews and video on Whiskey 50 at CyclingDirt.
[updated 4/28/2012]
Shawn Milne of Kenda/5 Hour Energy p/b Geargrinder won today’s stage 2 of the Joe Martin Stage Race, a four-day event on the U.S. National Racing Calendar. Francisco Mancebo rode in with Milne and holds the leader’s jersey for his Competitive Cyclist team.
Mancebo guards a 22 second lead over the best placed Kenda rider, Milne, who owns fourth in the GC. It should be an interesting road race over 114 Arkansas miles on Saturday. Kenda holds the lead for stage race wins on the domestic scene, a position the team would like to crow about for months to come, and Mancebo has been ramping up his form as the season has progressed. Kenda they will have to launch some attacks on another hilly course with 6,000 feet of climbing to threaten Mancebo’s lead.
Keep an eye on the trio of Colombians in the top 10: Sebastian Salas (Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefits), Andres Diaz (Exergy) and the Colombian National Team rider Juan Esteban Arango. They’re all good climbers, and sometimes national pride plays into tactics on the road.
Follow these Twitter accounts for Joe Martin Stage Race action:
Visit with Tom Danielson at home in Boulder, Colorado, in this USA Pro Cycling Challenge five minute video. He talks about his first race and living in the moment at 110%.
“The USA Pro Cycling Challenge redefined what people thought bike racing in Colorado would look like. They didn’t expect it would look like the Tour de France in Colorado.” — Tom Danielson
Selected text translation from an article published on April 20th, 2012, in Le Quotidien, titled, “Cycling/Liège: the fabulous Schleck serial,” with some notes added.
Frank Schleck has been a starter at Liege-Bastogne-Liege since 2003. Andy Schleck first raced this classic in 2007. The two brothers will again be important players in the race this Sunday, April 22nd 2012. What will the 2012 edition of this serial be titled?
2003 Frank, teammate rewarded
Frank rode just 170 km of the race, but he did his job for his CSC teammate, Tyler Hamilton, who won that year. Frank praised Hamilton: “He’s a charming guy, when you bring him a water bottle, he never stops thanking us. That makes me happy to have contributed to his success. I rode as hard as I could.”
2004 In the service of Basso and Bartoli [on CSC]
Davide Rebellin won in 2004. Frank said, “I did my work as a teammate and I appreciated passing so close to Luxembourg before a great crowd.” Frank, still on CSC, finished the race in 77th place.
2005 The first attack
Ivan Basso, the CSC team leader, asked Frank to attack on the Vecquée climb. Frank set himself to it. CSC teammate Jens Voigt followed Frank’s move. Alexandre Vinokourov latched onto Voigt and the two fought out a sprint to the finish. Vinokourov won. Frank couldn’t hide his disappointment at the finish line, “When Jens flew off, I was dropped, even though I thought I’d be able to hold on. I keep learning. In front of me were only great riders. To finish isn’t so bad.”
2006 First top 10
Winner of Amstel a week earlier, fourth at Fleche Wallonne three days before, Frank rode a comfortable seventh for his first top 10 in Liege-Bastogne-Liege. At the finish, the champion of Luxembourg said, “I did everything to win, and honestly, there was nothing else I could have done.” He tried to attack twice in the finale, but Kaschechkin and Sinkewitz each came back. The race ended in a sprint with eleven riders, won by Valverde.
Andy and Frank Schleck at 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge opening press conference
2007 First podium
Andy’s first time in the race and Frank’s first podium, the first year the international press discovered these siamese brothers, by each other’s side in the classics. Andy works. “They asked me to toughen the pace on the Saint-Nicholas climb, and that’s what I did,” said Andy, enthusiatic at the finish. But everyone had their eyes riveted on Frank. It’s the first time many Luxembourg supporters assembled around the bus…In the finale, Frank attacked. “I had promised to attack and I did it. I wanted to attack earlier, to be the strongest on the slopes of the Saint-Nicholas. But it was really hard to take off at that time, it was even impossible. So, I took advantage of a slow-down four km from the finish to attack. At that moment, I had to give everything, and I did. But Di Luca came to find me. That’s racing. And for him, it worked out well. He was right to get onto my wheel,” said Frank, clearly torn between regret at having come only so close to winning (he took 3rd) and the satisfaction of stepping onto his first Liege podium. Di Luca won in 2007. Andy came in 46th.
2008 It’s better as two
This time the Schlecks appear to be at the same level in a grand classic. For a long time, this was their dream — to find themselves together, aiming to win. Their wish was granted on April 28, 2008. You see them elbow to elbow, arms glued, seemingly united in effort. Andy attacks on the côte de la Redoute. He is reeled back a first time. He takes off again on la côte de la Roche-aux-Foucons. He is joined by Valverde, Rebellin, and Rodriguez. Andy goe out guns ablazing again ten km from the finish. He gains 15 seconds, but Valverde, Rebellin, and Frank come back again. He lets go a bit later. Frank comes in third, Andy fourth. “It’s crazy the race he rode. He didn’t even surprise me, that’s how strong I know he is. It was a dream, almost inexplainable, to find ourselves there, at the front of the race,” Frank said. Andy looked ahead to the future; he said, “I gave everything, because to win Liege, it’s my dream. It wasn’t going to happen today, but one day, it will.”
2009 Andy’s crowning glory
Four days before la Doyenne Andy took second in Fleche-Wallonne, while Frank recovered from a bad crash in Amstel Gold. The elder brother would come back for Liege-Bastogne-Liege. And he contributed to the amazing work by Team Saxo Bank. “I know where I have to attack. If I want to win the race, I must launch off the climb of la Roche-aux-Faucons,” Andy told us before Liege-Bastogne-Liege. He also told us, “If I want to win it, I must attack before the finish. I’m not as fast as Rebellin, Valverde, even Cunego. But I have confidence. I feel strong enough to ride to win. It’s my objective.” Twenty km from the finish Andy stood up on the pedals and picked up Philippe Gilbert who took off on the summit of la Redoute but appeared exhausted. The gap didn’t stop growing. It had been a long time since a winner of la Doyenne had made his mark in this way. “…When they told me that I had a 1’30” lead about 10 km from the finish, I thought I was watching the television. I watched the kilometers pass, then I told myself, ‘if you watch the television, the end of a race like this, you know that the guy who has this kind of lead is going to win it.’ I continued to ride hard, then at 500 meters from the finish line, I stopped, I relaxed, I had won,” Andy said at the press conference. “I don’t know what to say, this incredible, fabulous…” cries Frank while seeing Andy mount the highest step of the podium. Frank placed 23rd.
Andy Schleck at Avon start of 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge
2010 Return to top 10
Andy attempts the same blow as last year. He attacks on la Roche-aux-Faucons, while behind him his brother changes bikes due to a problem with the rear brakes. Gilbert followed Andy, then Contador. On the summit, Evans, Anton, Nibali, Valverde, Kolobnev, and Vinokourov joined them. 17 km from the finish line Vinokourov attached and only Kolobnev followed. Behind, Frank returned to the chase group. 500 meters from the line Vinokourov accelerates. Kolobnev, a teammate of the Schlecks, tried to follow but falls back into the saddle, exhausted. Andy and Frank finished 6th and 9th respectively. “I didn’t say in the radio that I had just changed bikes, because I didn’t want to slow down Andy in his attempt. It was anticipated that attacks would happen there and he did it,” said Frank later.
2011 Both on the podium
For a very long time the Schleck brothers held this still unattained dream: “To end on the same podium of a great race, a great Classic, or Grand Tour. If possible winner and second, but it doesn’t matter…” In this same year of 2001, the brothers without a doubt shall not have considered that they would go on to at the same time finish second and third in Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Tour [de France], their two favorite races. The biggest Grand Tour. And the greatest classic for climbers. But not in the same order. At la Doyenne, Gilbert out-rode everyone. The brothers tried to harass Gilbert starting from the Roche-aux-Faucons; nothing was possible. “It’s without doubt the most beautiful podium of the Ardennes classics,” said Andy. Frank said, “This Liege-Bastogne-Liege podium will enter the history books. It’s something special. People will remember it for a long time. We’re proud of that.” Gilbert won, Frank got second, and Andy finished third.
Andy Schleck at USA Pro Cycling Challenge (photo by Roxanne King, Flickr)
Three races in the space of eight days make up the “Ardennes Classics:” Amstel Gold Race, Fleche Wallonne, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Here are a few random facts about the Ardennes Classics, and a reminder to, despite his season to date, follow Andy Schleck during this year’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege on April 22nd.
- The courses are hilly,
- The area of the Ardennes encompasses portions of Belgium, Luxembourg, and France,
- “There are two theories on the origin of the word Ardennes: some historians think that it comes from the Celtic word ‘Arduinna silva’ known since ancient times and indicating a forest situated on the Ardennes massif, some others think it comes from the Celtic word ‘Ar Duen’ meaning ‘The Dark One.'”
- Two men have won all three races in the same year, Davide Rebellin in 2004 and Philippe Gilbert in 2011. Danilo Di Luca, Michele Bartoli, Eddy Merckx, and Bernard Hinault have won all three but not in the same year,
- “…an agreement stipulating that the Flèche Wallonne will finish at Huy and Liege-Bastogne-Liege in Ans until 2018 has been signed with the Province of Liege.” — via the A.S.O website
Andy Schleck finished 3rd in Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 2011, 6th in 2010, and won the race in 2009. Perhaps, despite his poor season so far, Andy can land on the podium on April 22nd?
The British magazine Cycling Weekly said about Liege-Bastogne-Liege: “In purely physical terms, this is probably the toughest classic: the climbs are long, most of them are pretty steep as well, and they come up with depressing frequency in the final kilometers.” — via Wikipedia
Moreno Argentin said, “Riders who win at Liège are what we call fondisti – men with a superior level of stamina…Liège is a race of trial by elimination, where it’s very unlikely that a breakaway can go clear and decide the race before the final 100km. You need to be strong and at the same time clever and calculating – in this sense it’s a complete test of a cyclist’s ability.” — via Wikipedia
The flash and tradition of UCI World and European Tour bike racing rightfully attracts fans’ attention and spectating time, especially as live video feeds render these races increasingly accessible across the world. But this category of racing also falsely seduces fans into thinking it’s the only competition that matters.
Boulder-Roubaix 2012, end of lap 1 (l - r) Julian Kyer, Nic Hamilton, Frank Pipp, Brady Kappius (photo by Mary Topping)
Dozens of American pro and elite cyclists on American pro-continental, continental, and elite teams ride their hearts out every weekend in America, together with international athletes from Europe, Australia, Russia, and South America. Following their results provides insight into who could perform well for those invited to larger U.S. races such as the Amgen Tour of California, the Tour of Utah, and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. And they deliver exciting races that are fun to watch.
Here’s a look at who’s winning the fight for wheels and wins so far this season on the American domestic racing scene*.
Most stage-race wins for a team: Kenda/5 Hr Energy Pro Cycling p/b GearGrinder — 2 (San Dimas Stage Race and Redlands Bicycle Classic)
Most stage race wins by a rider: tie with 1 each — Phil Gaimon of Kenda/5 Hr Energy, Patrick Bevin of Bissell Pro Cycling, and Micheal Creed of Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
Most stage and 1-day race wins for a team: Bissell Pro Cycling — 8 (6 by Patrick Bevin, 1 by Frank Pipp, and 1 by Eric Young)
Most stage and 1-day race wins for a rider: Patrick Bevin on Bissell Pro Cycling (3 at Redlands Bicycle Classic, 3 at Merco Cycling Classic)
*based on results from the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar, USA Cycling National Criterium Calendar, USACrits Calendar, and a collection of local races (selective list).
Connoisseurs of the pro-cycling scruffy face are taking note of Tom Boonen’s spring race look. Earlier this week one Twitter user, Beth, a.k.a. @StuckinOregon, commented on Boonen’s Paris-Roubaix race-face:
“i’d like 2 think he didn’t shave since just B4 Flanders, maybe as superstition. How long do U think that scruff would take?”
It’s hard to say how many day’s growth Tommeke flew into the Roubaix velodrome with, but perhaps we can help Beth decide if he didn’t shave between the Tour of Flanders (April 1) and Paris-Roubaix (April 8th).
Cast your vote based on the two photos below.
Tom Boonen at Tour of Flanders (photo by Cindy Trossaert)
Original photo by Cindy Trossaert on Flickr
Tom Boonen wins 2012 Paris-Roubaix (photo by Roxanne King)
Original photo by Roxanne King on Flickr
Thank you to Cindy Trossaert and Roxanne King for making their photos shareable via Flickr under Creative Commons.
Stephanie Danielson with Stevie in Avon, at the 2011 USA Pro Challenge
At 7 p.m. in late February Stephanie and Tom Danielson were running late. The couple and their 22 month-old son Stevie were driving home to Boulder after a delayed flight from southern California where Tom had been training. In about twelve hours a film crew would arrive at their house to shoot Tom, the top-finishing American in the 2011 Tour de France with eighth place, for a good portion of the day. As they neared the Rocky Mountain foothills, Stephanie thought, “I have a couple of hours to get everything ready.”
A former mountain bike and road racer, Stephanie understands the stress of competition and a professional athlete’s needs. She raced on the University of Missouri-Columbia NCCA bike team. “Tom likes to talk about how we discovered that we both medaled as junior racers at a NORBA event in Sleeping Bear, Michigan, but we never met…that was 1995 or 1996,” she said.
When she declared, “I do” to marry Tom, Stephanie became the wife of a superstar professional cyclist. She also signed on as a member of Team Danielson. Stephanie said, laughing, “There’s definitely like this whole unwritten deal. I tell everyone I’m the man of the house. If it has to do with the yard or painting, or anything like that, it’s on my shoulders. I mean, he is not interested.”
Like other pro-cyclists, Tom, who rides for Team Garmin-Barracuda, doesn’t want to come close to anything that might cause an injury or prevent him from training to maintain his fitness. Stephanie has joked about creating a version of the popular video, Shit cyclists say. The video could be titled, Shit pro-cyclists say to their wives, and when asked to take on yard work or some other manual task, the filmed pro-cyclist would mutter something like, “I can’t. I don’t want to throw out my back.”
Stephanie’s experience as the spouse of an elite athlete has evolved over time. Initially her heart skipped numerous beats when Tom traveled or raced. “I would definitely have anxiety about his performance; I would feel it on my shoulders,” she said. “And then over time you just get a little hardened to it. You get used to emotional ups and downs, you learn to just roll with it, understand that you’ll have days when you’re feeling stressed, or you’re lonely, or maybe you’re crazy busy.”
Sweethearts’ fuel
Crazy busy describes the majority of the Danielsons’ days. Stephanie works freelance for an ad agency. With Tom racing and training to maintain his fitness year-round, Stephanie said, “There’s maybe two weeks out of the whole year where he’s truly carefree.” Tom spends any free time away from training or racing by catching up with people he hasn’t been able to speak with for months, or might try to squeeze in a four to six hour mountain bike ride just for fun. “There’s always something on our agenda,” Stephanie said.
In the midst of all this activity, Tom and Stephanie found a unique way to connect when they’re apart.
“Tom finds little hearts for me. Just this morning he sent me a heart in scrambled eggs, a picture of it. He’ll send me pictures from the road, too, like if he sees a heart in the asphalt or something. I love that stuff,” she said, laughing.
Dairy Queen Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard (small)
A trip to Dairy Queen sneaks onto their agenda just three times a year, the number of occasions when Tom indulges in a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard. “One thing about Tom is he has to go big. Moderation is not his strong point. So when he goes to Dairy Queen, he gets a large Blizzard and then he likes me to order a larger one than normal. I’ll say, ‘I don’t need anything really,’ and he’ll say, ‘Oh no, you should, you should totally get it.’ And then no matter what I’ll be half-way through mine and he’ll kind of look over at me and say, ‘How’s that going over there?’”
Team Danielson fuels Tom in more ways than sharing Blizzards. In a recent interview with VeloNation, Tom recognized the role of his family in his rejuvenated career. Coming home to his family, he said, “solidifies everything you’ve done on the bike and makes you feel like you are doing something for a cause.”
Stevie, the third member of Team Danielson and an expert Strider Bike handler, is already a seasoned spectator.
“We definitely love to travel. It’s more challenging with the baby but when we can go we do it for sure,” Stephanie said. Stevie has traveled twice to Spain for the Vuelta a Espana, once to France for the Tour de France, and twice to California for that state’s tour to see his dad race. Last year in August they watched Tom compete in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge (UPCC) in Colorado, where he finished fourth overall.
Infallible faith
Tom Danielson warming up for the Vail time trial, 2011 USA Pro Challenge
On the Wednesday morning of the UPCC uphill time trail in Vail, Stephanie and family were setting off to drive to the race when her phone rang at 6:45 a.m. It was Tom. “His voice was gone. He said, ‘Stef, I’m out of the race.’ And I was like, ‘What the hell, I just talked to you at 9 o’clock last night; what could have possibly happened between then and now?’”
The day before Tom had attacked on the descent off Independence Pass. He gained 45 seconds on the current race leader and moved up to third place overall. That night Stephanie told Tom on the phone he’d won the race and she was packing Stevie’s podium outfit.
Stephanie said, “Tom didn’t want to admit it – he never wants to put the cart before the horse.” She based her confidence in Tom’s time trial track record. “You could argue he’s almost one of the best in the country, or the world, holding every record in North America basically for uphill time trialing,” she said. She also knew that whoever won that Wednesday time trial would likely lock-in an overall victory when the race ended in Denver.
Around 2 a.m. Wednesday morning Tom became ill with digestive problems. He hadn’t slept and couldn’t eat. Leading up to the UPCC Tom felt he could win it, and the entire family shared his excitement. “My heart just sank for our whole family,” Stephanie said, as she recounted the 6:45 a.m. phone call.
Tom thought food poisoning was the culprit, so Stephanie felt he should recover soon. “I told him, ‘Tom, you know I’ll be there for you, I’ll come pick you up right now if you want to drop out, but that’s not what you are going to do.’ I don’t remember the exact time, but I said, ‘You’ve got six hours until the race. Food poisoning is food poisoning; it’s nothing you did, it’s just bad luck.’”
Was it the push Stephanie gave him, his own reserves, or his uphill time trialing talent that landed Tom fourth in that time trial? Stephanie said, “I don’t want to take any credit, really. It was his determination. I heard that after the race guys like Andy Schleck were saying to Tom, ‘Hey, I want the sickness you had,’ giving him trouble because obviously he did so well.
“I’ve always told Tom, the reason I am a little hard with him is because I believe that he can do it. I’ve always believed that he’s the best. Eighth in the Tour [de France] now, so he’s definitely always reaching up higher, and then I’m pushing him.”
Stephanie thinks her racing days are over, but she still loves riding for fun. “He pushes me too,” she said, “when we’re on rides. Definitely there’s never a dull moment.”
Stephanie Danielson and her pink Pinarello, a gift from Tom
ProVéloPassion 