Stage un

Well, we're back at it again. One more race to go. This little stinker in Thailand will set is back about 100 miles a day for 6 days. It's also very hot out. Oh yeah, and there is an Olympic and world track pursuit champ here from Australia (that's 2 different people, not one)

Today's stage was a big one for me. I finally managed to squeeze myself into THE breakaway. 60k into the race I miraculously managed to effortlessly slip myself into the right spot and was wisked up the road with 15 other riders. This was the last taste of "effortlessly" I would have for the next 2 hours. We managed to put a gap on the field very quickly. We were rotating very cleanly with about 1/2 to 2/3 of the riders doing the work (including me, so far). Now this is a time for a rider with no teammates around him to do some thinking. With a group of that size it's pretty easy to sit tight and stay out of the wind. Doing this or not depends on many things. Do I think the move will ultimately last? is my help required for the break to survive? It's the first day which is critical in the formation of alliances and partnerships with other teams. So I have to ask myself who I might piss off by not working. A good reputation early in the race can lead to a lot of favors later on down the road.

In the end I opted to work most of the time and take my feed sessions with the team car as time to sit on the back and watch. If riders got agitated then I would move into the rotation and work. This seemed the best option and i'd say the work/rest ratio was around 70/30. So this went on for around an hour and a half, at which point the shit started hitting the fan. Since the group was so big it began to attack itself. Now, I consider myself to be in good shape, but keep in mind though that in this group of 16 riders I am likely the only one who isn't salaried to ride. So when the guy with the world champ stripes on his shirt decides to attack I start saying Hail Mary's and hanging on. At this point there's just 10 miles to go but guys are really giving each other the business. Finally the group splits and a few guys out some distance into the rest of us. By now I am blind and deaf in one ear and I think I might even have a cramp in my thumb. I am crushed. Then I look over my shoulder and there is everyone else bearing down on us. We've been caught with just the last bit of miles to go. What a goddamned bummer man! All I could do was get onto the back and babble to myself for the next 15 minutes. In the end the group caught everyone and it was a sprint finish. That's bike racing as they say... See you tomorrow.
Tom

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