Maglia Rosa

The past few weeks have been hectic for the team.  We have the younger, less experienced squad members getting more french racing/crashing/going hard under their belts....Then we have the Giro.  Our first grand tour. A monumental occasion, and it has been fun watching the preparation process.  Especially the part where we win the first stage, the team time trial.  They had a camp of sorts in Girona the week or so before the race started, and I went out on a couple rides with the boyz just to see what it was all about.  Suffice to say that these guys are strong!  Obviously, now that you have all seen the first stage and know what happened this is stating the obvious, but to actually feel the strength that it takes to best CSC by six seconds is wild...To know that I am a part of that history, the history in which a Professional/Continental pro team goes to its first grand tour and WINS the TTT.  Pretty special. Next year maybe I will really be a part of it.

To watch the race on TV as a rider is different than just watching the race.  For me to see Danny, and Pat, guys that I rode with almost every race with last year, it is really incredible how hard, and dangerous the grand tours are.  They give a much clearer picture to know how I would be fairing out there.  I will tell honestly that at this point in my career I am glad I am seeing the race on Eurosport rather than from the saddle.  The Italians, I have been told, have enormous amounts of pressure to get results in their home tour, and they will as you've seen this first week, go to almost any length to get those results...I think we only had three or four guys not crash in the third and fourth stages...Today's stage was incredible, I watched as Bettini tried desperately to get Visconti back into the field with about 30k to go.  The peloton had been whittled to forty guys, then just as they got back in, Di Luca attacked and blew the remaining riders almost to pieces.......Oh the pain 

I tell you with certainty that I have a new respect grand tour riders....It seems crazy I suppose to have aspirations to be one of those riders.....I do.....I will.....someday.....thanks for reading