With one team captain, Tom Danielson, out of the race and another suffering a sudden drop in form – Dave Zabriskie – the Garmin Barracuda team has a very different look than it had earlier this week. It came to the Tour de Langkawi to try to take the overall classification and started off brilliantly when Zabriskie won the opening time trial and Danielson picked up fourth.
Danielson was perfectly poised going into the Genting Highlands stage, sitting second overall, but cracked and lost a lot of time. He said afterwards that a leg infection caused by his crash last Sunday was the reason, and he was a non starter yesterday.
Nathan Haas had been riding for Garmin Barracuda’s GC guys, and now finds himself with a bit more freedom. Speaking to VeloNation while sitting in the back of the team van at the summit of Genting, he talked about the new strategy.
“I think maybe we can have a bit of a play now,” he said. “Try to get into some moves and cause trouble in the race, as opposed to trying to police it. I think the next couple of days could be fun.”
Haas’ team-mate Raymond Kreder did just that yesterday, getting into the day’s long break and fighting it out for the win. However the Dutchman was out-manoeuvred and had to be satisfied with sixth. The riders didn’t get into today’s breakaway, which came back before the finish line and Andrea Guardini’s successful sprint.
Haas, Kreder and the others will try to emulate Zabriskie and pick up another stage win before the race ends on Sunday.
Whatever way things work out, Haas has been enjoying himself this week, and in general after his step up to the ProTeam ranks. At the end of stage three he enthused about the stage to directeur sportif Allan Peiper, telling the former pro at the finish that he got a big kick out of the jostling for positions and the general run up to the sprints. “That really makes me feel alive,” he told Peiper, speaking about the high-adrenaline fight towards the line.
“Enjoy it,” was the response. “You can’t get that same feeling elsewhere after you retire.”
Haas was also animated at the end of the Genting stage, where he perform strongly in placing 15th on one of the hardest climbs in cycling. For a first year pro who is not yet as lean as some of the other riders, it was a solid display.
“I think the signs are good. I am not a pure climber and this is a pure climber’s race,” he smiled. “It is nice to have these signs going into the year, and hopefully I’ll be growing every season on all the qualities.”