Danielson withdraws from Tour de Langkawi
American fighting leg infection, quits Malaysian race as a resultHaving lost a chunk of time yesterday and any chance of winning his second Tour de Langkawi, Tom Danielson has taken the decision today not to continue in the race. The American was the only non-starter on today’s seventh stage, the longest of the event, and took that decision as he feels his health is not optimal.He described his symptoms in a video interview conducted yesterday and published below.“Crashing is pretty hard, but when you crash like that in a sprint finish, it takes a lot out of you. I’ve been doing the best I can, but obviously it’s not what I wanted,” he said. “It is like you have got the flu. You are just so achy. Your body doesn’t work because it’s just trying to repair itself.”“My right leg is so swollen, and there is so much muscle damage [...]
Video: Danielson talks of disappointment of cracking on Genting
Garmin Barracuda rider keeps eye on bigger pictureOn a day he had earmarked for a long time as being the one where he would make a push for what would have been his second Tour de Langkawi title, Tom Danielson instead had the disappointment of finishing way off the pace at the summit of Genting Highlands. The Garmin Barracuda climber trailed in 74th, over eighteen minutes back, and said afterwards that his ambitions were scuppered by the fall he had last Sunday. “It has just been a battle. I have such good form and coming into this race, I wanted to really do a good ride. Unfortunately my body is just way off from the crash,” he told VeloNation in a video interview carried out at the summit of the climb. “Crashing is pretty hard, but when you crash like that in a sprint finish, it takes a lot out [...]
Video: Peiper states it’s all about positioning Danielson for Genting Highlands
Showdown beckons at Tour de LangkawiWith Dave Zabriskie’s overall challenge evaporating dramatically on yesterday’s fifth stage of the Tour de Langkawi, the Garmin-Barracuda team has thrown its full weight behind Tom Danielson today. The American squad had intended having two leaders going onto the climb, but yesterday’s events have meant that it will focus on one rider only; the 2003 rce winner. Directeur sportif Allan Peiper admitted after the stage that he was unsure what happened to Zabriskie. Asked when he realized the rider was in trouble, he said it didn’t take long at all. “It was at the bottom of the first climb,” he said in a video interview. “I saw he was struggling straight away. I don’t know if he’s sick or the heat got to him, but it was not normal anyway.” VeloNation spoke both the team doctor and Zabriskie himself this morning and there was no [...]
Video: Savio celebrates Serpa’s win, says he’s confident about Rujano
Tour de Langkawi heads to crucial battleground of Genting HighlandsTaking stage five and ending the day with two riders in the top seven and a total of four in the top fourteen, Gianni Savio had something to smile about at the Tour de Langkawi on Tuesday. The race will tackle the cruel slopes of the Genting Highlands on Wednesday, a location which has given Savio’s teams much in the past. Drapac Cycling’s Darren Lapthorne is currently in the driving seat but with fourth-placed Jose Rujano 46 seconds back and Jose Serpa just over a minute behind in seventh, Savio was feeling upbeat. “I am very happy,” he told VeloNation in a video interview. “All the team today was perfect. In every breakaway there was always one rider, and after that Jose Serpa [won].” Garmin Barracuda rider Dave Zabriskie held the overall lead heading into the stage but cracked and dropped [...]
Videos: more quirkiness from Langkawi race leader Zabriskie
Garmin Barracuda rider ‘not freaking out’ about climbs on today’s stageDave Zabriskie is making headlines this week as the leader of the Tour de Langkawi but at the race itself, he’s also gaining considerable attention for his offbeat sense of humour and at-times peculiar logic. He’s also come across as very relaxed about the race, professing yesterday not to know the parcours for today’s lumpy190 kilometre race from Air Keroh to Pandan Indah. Asked how he felt about a stage which was tougher than those which came before, he admitted that he didn’t know the details and asked a media person recording the outdoor press conference to give some information. Acting translator and conference host Jeff Quenet stepped in, telling him that it featured second category climbs plus a third category ramp ten kilometres from the end. “Interesting….” he said, digesting the details. “It would be nice to get a [...]
Video: Danielson ‘pretty good’ despite crash, feeling confident
Says he’s ‘not too scared’ of RujanoTom Danielson was surprisingly upbeat after stage four of the Tour de Langkawi, despite being covered in bandages on his right side following his stage three fall. He spoke to VeloNation shortly after the finish in Muar and said that he felt better than expected, and also remained confident. “I feel surprisingly good,” he said in the video interview below. “I hit the ground super hard…I lost my entire right side on the road and hit my shoulder real good. But surprisingly everything is okay and I feel pretty good. Usually the day after a crash you had a little less energy but I felt okay.” Danielson joked about the effects of the crash, saying that losing skin could take 500 grams off his body weight and perhaps make him quicker on Wednesday’s crucial climb of Genting Highlands. That aside, he believes that he [...]