BOULDER — What Tom Danielson is about to experience next week is similar to an athlete reaching his peak right when the Olympic Games come to his hometown. Colorado’s inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge, which starts Monday, isn’t the Olympics. But considering the pressure, it’ll feel like it to Danielson.
Let’s see, where do we start? The Boulder resident just finished ninth in the Tour de France, has lived and trained at altitude for 15 years, cycles for a Boulder team, and every European cyclist from Gibraltar to the fjords of Norway picks him to win. And this is the first big pro race in Colorado in 23 years.
“I have every bit of faith that Tom can win it, but he’s going to have to want it as bad as I do, and that’s a lot,” said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Danielson’s Team Garmin-Cervelo.
Danielson has reached the world’s elite, but for many years he wallowed in mediocrity. When he went to his first Tour in July, Garmin-Cervelo had other objectives. It wanted to win a stage and win the team time trial.
Danielson flew under the radar. In Colorado, he will be more visible than Mount Evans.
“I know he’s fit,” Vaughters said. “I know he has the condition to win. No doubt he’s going to be the strongest rider in the race. But he’s also going to have to be the strongest rider in the race psychologically, and we get to find out whether that’s the case in the next couple of days.”
The only emotion Danielson has shown since returning from France is unabridged, childlike excitement.
“I just finished ninth overall in my first Tour de France, the top-finishing American,” Danielson said. “It couldn’t be a better run in to this race.”
One concern is how much the Tour took out of him. His one advantage is that his chief competitors also did the Tour, and none has raced as high as 12,126-foot Cottonwood Pass and 12,095-foot Independence Pass, both of which are on Wednesday’s stage.
Danielson does those on training rides.
Still, this is the strongest field in the history of U.S. cycling. Cadel Evans, who just won the Tour, may not even be a factor. Danielson’s biggest threats are likely to include Andy Schleck, the three-time Tour runner-up who won Stage 18 over the Col du Galibier, the highest pass in this summer’s Tour at 8,729 feet.
Levi Leipheimer just won the Tour of Utah, where Colombians showed their climbing strength.
Look for a big push from Sergio Luis Henao, who won the Tour of Colombia and just signed with Team Sky, a Pro Tour team in England.
“No doubt (Danielson) will finish in the top five in Colorado,” Vaughters said, “but for him to win, it’s going to have to be a very special effort because those guys are tough, man.”
Don’t count on Evans. He’s coming in from Australia. By the time he arrives, he will have flown around the world.
Danielson has been in Colorado attacking every hill in the Pro Challenge.
“I’ve had the best season of my career so far and made a dream come true, which was race the Tour de France and be one of the best riders in the world in the Tour de France,” Danielson said. “On that note, I’m looking forward to this race and will give it everything I have.”
John Henderson: 303-954-1299, jhenderson@denverpost.com
