8.20.07: Tom's Tour of Germany diary: Stage 9
I'm checking in with you guys from my home high up in the mountains of Spain. As usual, the final day of a stage race is quite hectic. Just as there is a mad dash to the finish line in the race, after the race there is a mad dash to the airport. Basically, you cross the finish line and head straight to the bus. Heart rate pegged and still sweating furiously, I signed autographs as quick as possible outside the bus and then straight in the bus and right into the shower. Five minutes later into normal clothing, bags packed, and straight into a team car headed for the airport. Out of the car, right to check in and then board the plane. All this within an hour of finishing the race!

Back to the race the stage was a nice one. Quite up and down and then four 9 kilometer circuit laps in Hannover. The circuits were nice and dangerous as usual with posts and traffic islands greeting us unexpectedly throughout the lap. Actually the hardest part of the circuit was how wide some sections were. You would fight for position and be in the first positions and then the back of the pack would shoot up one side and instantly you are in the back. One section actually had cones separating us between oncoming traffic. Levi got pushed over the cones and had to swerve back in to avoid hitting a car head on! Nice!

Now back at home I get some easy days to spend with my beautiful wife. Kristin has been recovering from a broken Tibia (mtb crash) and now is back on her bike. Each day while I was in Germany she was exploring new climbs here I still haven't ridden. She found a new 16K climb that I am excited to try out this week!

I really appreciate all of you who have helped me come back from my illness. It’s great to be racing and feeling strong after many years struggling. While it is going to take more time to get back to the fitness to race and win, I am enjoying the journey along the way. Thanks for taking the journey with me.

TD

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8.17.07: Tom's Tour of Germany diary: Stage 8
Wow, today was just a plain bad day. I didn't feel good or bad, just blah. Did my best but just had one speed.

The course today was relatively flat with tons of wind. Power and aerodynamics were the most important. I had one, but not the other. As my body adjusts back to stage racing this is quite normal.

I fought through the day with my mind the whole day focused on getting better. All in all a great 40 minutes of hard training.

Tomorrow is the last day of this 9 day race. 143Ks, but the real test is the 400K transfer in the morning. Luckily we have a nice bus to stretch out in!

TD

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8.16.07: Tom's Tour of Germany diary: Stage 7
One week of racing has been finished here in Germany. Today we were all expecting an easy day after looking at the profile. In the team meeting, we thought it would be a strong headwind all day and were prepared to sit on the wheels for five and a half hours. So prepared in fact, that our director Sean Yates prepared a long list of jokes for us to keep us entertained over the radio.

Well, today was not that day. The first hour was a flurry of attacks over quite hard terrain. A break would go, then a team would decide it didn't like it and then chase it down. Finally a group went, but because of the strong riders in it and the tail wind, it was very difficult to keep close.

The result was a very nervous peloton constantly traveling close to 60Ks an hour. The wind constantly switched and was gusting which caused people to fight for position like their life depended on it. Basically today felt like it was 10K to go in a sprint finish for 200Ks!

When we arrived at the finish it began raining. Awesome! Just in time for the 4 sketchy turns we had to maneuver before crossing the line...all in the last 2K! I made it safe and another day in the books.

Tomorrow is the time trail of just over 30Ks. I always enjoy time trials, so I will be looking forward to it. Cruise by tomorrow to see how it went!

TD

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8.15.07: Tom's Tour of Germany diary: Stage 6
Man, I wish this race was the other way around - easier stages in the beginning and the hard ones at the end. In just over one month’s time I have gone from watching guys like Levi and George on TV while I was sick in bed to racing with them over some of the hardest terrain I have seen!

Today was a nice change as it was a relatively flat stage with a few climbs near the end. While it was quite mellow, the end was very fierce with incredible high speeds, lots of sketchy turns, and everyone on the rivet just to stay on the wheel in front of them.

Luckily everyone stayed upright and our team had a good day at the office. I especially enjoyed today as I noticed some good legs beneath me. I am hoping I have enough time to build form for the Vuelta and today I think I saw signs I am progressing nicely.

Tomorrow we have a long stage of almost 200K which looks like it is up and down all day. Then the next day is the time trial. Thanks for checking in!

TD

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8.14.07: Tom's Tour of Germany diary: Stage 5
Today was a very hard stage. Not only the climb we went up in the final, but before was very hard. Lots of aggressive racing created quite a day on the bike. We ended up taking control of the race and brought the break back setting the race up for Levi.

Personally I had great legs, but knowing that I need to build my form gradually opted to ride the climb at a medium pace. This way I get great training in, but do not set myself back in my preparation for the Vuelta. I wish this race would have been backwards with this stage coming last and the easier we have coming starting the race off.

Now we have two relatively "easy" days after 5 very difficult days. Then a Time Trial, and then another flat day. What great training this race is and I hope it puts me on target for the Vuelta. I seem stronger than last year this time, just missing the race feeling in the legs.

Off the bike we are staying at some 5 star resort. Giant bedrooms, Jacuzzi in the room, deck, great restaurant, etc. There is even satellite TV and music in the bathrooms! Living it up here in Germany, right! See ya manana!

TD

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8.13.07: Tom's Tour of Germany diary: Stage 4
Today was a hard one! Lots of ups and downs and a very fast first hour and a half where the speeds were always close to 60 Ks and hour. Eventually two riders went clear. We gave them 10 minutes and then took up the chase along with CSC and Gerolsteiner. Near the finish there was a hard 4K climb which we went up mock speed. I was happy to find myself in the front and now I lie in 5th overall. I did not expect to feel this well!

Tomorrow is the famous climbing stage apparently climbing to 9000 ft of elevation with an average gradient of over 10 percent. Sounds like a high altitude Mt. Washington! Hopefully I feel strong enough to do a strong ride. See you tomorrow!

TD

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8.12.07: Tom's Tour of Germany diary: Stage 3
Stage three was 189 Ks of climbing. It was a very hard stage as the road really either went up or down. The team did a great jpb covering many moves in the beginning and then being there for us in the final. I felt quite good today on the climbs, hopefully showing that the last month (that's right, started training again July 7th) of training is working out. There were two incredibly steep climbs that we used 27s on. Here they don't tell you the distance to the top with markers except when you have 500 meters to go. Sometimes you'd think you'd be close to the top, but it would still be 4 more Ks! All in all it was a great day of training and racing. Now we have 2 more hard days in the mountains coming up!

On another note, the German fans have been incredible. All on the sides of every road and especially dense in the tops of climbs, This really helps make a great atmosphere for the race. I really appreciate them and try to show support back by taking a little extra time to sign there posters, jerseys, and take photos. I'm tired so I'm off to bed, but check back tomorrow to hear how the next mountain stage went.

TD

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8.11.07: Tom's Tour of Germany diary: Team Time Trail
Today's stage consisted of a brutal team time trial of 42 k. It was constantly up and down, never letting up. Amazing how fast you can go as a team as we averaged 49 kilometers an hour! The team was great as everyone was very strong. Poor Pavel hit a rock in the first 7 ks and detroyed his front wheel. He rode 35 ks on his own and still made the time cut! Wow!

I had great feelings, but was quite a bit conservative as I was unsure how my body would react to such a severe effort. I went from feeling strong, to being on the limit in the middle, to feeling strong at the end. A rollercoaster for sure, but that's the nature of this beast. I think a ttt is one of the hardest events.

Overall we finished second losing 25 seconds to CSC, but putting quite a bit of time into the others. Nevertheless a great day and awesome training.

Tomorrow's stage looks quite hard with several hard climbs. I am looking to remain in the peloton and continue to gradually build my fitness.

TD

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8.10.07: Tom's Tour of Germany diary: Stage 1
Today was the first stage of the Tour of Germany. 189 ks of rolling terrain it was quite a challenging course. After 20ks of attacks a break eventually went of three riders. With the changing terrain and constant rain, it was very important to stay in the front. In the end we had two finishing circuits which always provide some excitement for us! Being the first stage, people were quite nervous and there were many "close" calls. Luckily I had the wheel of a very strong Jason McCartney and he did an awesome job of keeping Levi and I at the front.

All in all it was a good day for me and it feels great to be back in the peloton. Although I know I will need a few more races in my legs before I can realistically think about goinging for it, my body feels the best it has in years. Tomorrow is the TTT and we have an awesome team. CSC also has a very powerful team and will be the favorite to win. I want to contribute to a good performance and to continue working towards good form. See you tomorrow!

TD

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