July 12, 2005 – The last week I have been racing at the Tour of Austria – a seven day race around the country, from the mountains in the west to plains in the east. For most of the week we had bad weather and a few of the mountain stages were shortened due to heavy snow on the peaks. It was disappointing we could not climb the passes, as we were riding well in the hills, but at the same time we were all thankful we didn’t have to freeze in winter like conditions risking injury and illness. One day we ended up spending eight hours in the team bus, driving from the original start town to possible new ones, as the organizers kept changing the start spot in search of better weather.

It was an epic and odd day, due to the weather and the time in the bus but I would also say a good team building day. During the last two stages of Austria, I forced myself to get in amongst the field sprinters as I had a good shot at winning the overall points classification. Leif Hoste, my Belgian teammate, had me well positioned for the sprints. Not wanting to get mixed up with the sprinters I did the sprint on Saturday alone in the wind and finished sixth, getting passed in the last 30 meters by five riders. On Sunday, I sprinted with the sprinters but was pushed into the barriers in a dodgy final. Thankfully, I was able to hold on to the jersey as few other riders in the points classification scored points.

Through the week, the team covered the attacks, rode well in the mountains and as a result we left Vienna with the team classification, a stage win, the points jersey and Tom Danielson and I were 5th and 6th overall. It was a good way to finish up before I take a break for the birth of our first child. Tom will race in Germany at the Sachsen Tour next and his knee is back to 100% after having had an injury that forced him to stop the Giro and rest for 15 days. I would put my money on him winning a mountain top finish at the Tour of Spain, maybe even a time trial.

For more on Michael Barry and his book, “Inside the Postal Bus”, visit www.michaelbarry.ca