February 3, 2005 – The last few days have been fairly easy going as the stages have been controlled by both the Japanese Anchor team and the Italian Panaria team. The Japanese are leading the overall classification and the Panaria team has been strong, dominating the field sprints.

Our Discovery team has been trying to help Tony Cruz out in the sprints. The sprint finishes have been incredibly dicey and dangerous. I’ve usually been hitting the front of the pack in the last couple of kilometers and then sitting back and watching the finish from a somewhat safe spot in the bunch. Riders are bouncing off each other, moving from the left to the right side of the road and often times skidding to avoid crashes in the corners.

Our team is sitting nicely in the overall classification with several riders in the top twenty. Tomorrow is the hardest stage of the race and one of the hardest mountain climbs we will face all season. The Colombians and South Africans look the strongest at the moment so they will be the ones to watch on the climb tomorrow. They have been racing quite a lot these past months and are in flying shape. Initially it will be their lead we’ll try and follow and then we will see what unfolds. At the moment we’re still planning tomorrow’s climb strategy as we have yet to climb a mountain other than in training camp.

From my hotel room tonight I can see the road we will race up tomorrow. The steep switchbacks at the summit are now clouded in fog. The road is incredibly steep and many riders will either use triple chain rings, or 25 or 27 cogs. It is not only the climb that will be tough – the heat is also intense.

More tomorrow…

For more about Barry, visit www.michaelbarry.ca