February 22, 2007 — We’re now three races into the season and it feels good to finally have it underway. I think all the guys on the team were eager to get the race started and are also very eager to post the team’s first victory. We have been close a few times with several second places but a victory still eludes us.

I have been racing with my SRM since the Tour of California began and it is interesting to analyze the data. Riders often complain about not feeling the “rhythm” of the race, or about struggling to find the ‘rhythm’. When I look at my files I can see exactly why we feel those sensations: races have completely different power profiles than a training ride. So, to feel good in a race, you need a few days of racing for the body to adapt to the drastic undulations in power that you normally don’t see on a training ride. The only way to properly simulate similar profiles, and sensations, in training is to motor-pace for hours.

Our objective the last two days has been to lead out our sprinters, Ciolek and Henderson, for a stage win. We have a team that can control the race well in the final kilometers and have narrowly missed a victory the last two days: one in a photo finish, and the other with the two sprinters placing in the top ten.

The race has been significantly harder than last year’s event as the courses are far more undulating and the wind has been blowing hard. During the early season races the peloton can be nervous, as everybody is raring to go, and searching for an early season result. Crashes have been too frequent and, sadly, scars and bandages are already evident throughout the peloton.

Stage 3 into San Jose will be selective and likely a group of 10-30 will come to the line for the victory. The other decisive stage will be the time trial in Solvang on Friday. For now, our tactic will be to sit and wait in the climbs, and then to jump on an opportunity that comes up. Discovery has the race under control for now and the rest of the peloton is waiting to jump when they are at their weakest.

*due to an email delay we received this report after Stage 3.-ed