VeloNews | Danielson: protected leader, or opportunist?
About midway through today's stage, a 13-rider breakaway briefly formed with some big names included. Bobby Julich was there, Victor Hugo Peña, and Chris Horner. There was also a very unexpected presence: presumptive Slipstream leader Tom Danielson.
It's safe to say a flat Stage 1 is not where I thought we would see either a Slipstream team leader or Tom Danielson specifically scratching for seconds, and Ken Conley commented:
Danielson's jump either means his lieutenants failed to cover or that that he isn't their leader... or maybe he was just having fun.
VeloNews takes up the question with a vengeance, outlining changes in Danielson's training after doctors found he was riding with a herniated disc probably dating back at least to last year's Vuelta.
As for the man himself:
“I was at the front when I saw Julich jump, and then Horner jumped on that,” Danielson said. “It was a crazy, short stage, and there’s no better place to be than the front. I was there and I saw it, and I jumped on those wheels. It was really a matter of five pedal strokes and I was with them. It turned into a breakaway with barely any effort, and it saved the team a lot of energy. At the time we didn’t have any guys up there, and if no one was there it would have been dangerous. It’s always better to take the race in your hands than not cover a move just because you’re riding for GC, and you’re ‘not supposed to.’”
I for one would welcome a new more aggressive Danielson. He's clearly loaded with talent, but I can't remember ever seeing him solo off the front, breaking the legs of his opponents. Maybe that will change this week.
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