Chris Froome saga - Don't Cry for me Britain

Tyler, suffering from the climb or Vaughters' singing?

Jonathan Vaughters was belting out at the top of his lungs "Don't cry for me Argentina" while I was on the nose of my saddle buried deep into a cave of pain trying to hold onto the main pack in the middle of the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in Massachusetts, 1997.

Vaughters had serious cycling talent as he displayed it was no problem to sing and hold a wheel at the top of a nasty climb while I couldn't even suck down enough air to squelch the burning in my lungs and legs.

Vaughters is now the head of Garmin-Sharp and still displaying his talent by winning the Giro di' Italia this year with Ryder Hesjedal.  Last year Vaughters did his best to acquire the new cycling revelation Chris Froome during the Vuelta (Tour of Spain) as Chris was securing his eventual 2nd place overall - virtually coming out of nowhere.

Froome decided against the smaller budget Garmin team, and the chance to be the outright grand tour leader, and instead opted for the bright lights and budget of the big bad British cycling team, Team Sky.  Froome banked big time on his grand tour success in the Vuelta and as Vaughters mentioned on twitter July 12th -

This years Tour is already shaping up to see Froome and Braddley Wiggins as head and shoulders above the rest of those hoping for the top podium spot in Paris.  Stage 9's 41.5 km Time Trial at first appeared to be the same ole' thing with perenial TT specialist and former multi World Champion, Fabain Cancellara setting the fastest time and still holding that after a narrow miss from BMC's young Tejay Van Garderen.  However, Chris Froome topped Fabian by a solid 22 seconds and then Wiggins slotted a time almost a minute (57 secs) faster than Cancellara and 35 secs to Froome by the finish.

My 4th of July - Davis Crit as Seen from the Bike

Teammate Casey Fallon doing his work on the front

Every 4th of July the town of Davis CA (voted one of the most bike friendly cities in the US) hosts a great Criterium right down town.  The race is a fast and technical 6 corner race that is full-tilt from the start and takes its toll not only from the explosiveness needed for the corners but the inevitable heat as well.  This year was no different as the temp was just below the 100 degree level and the pace was high.  My teammate and friend (also a great cycling coach if you are interested) Nate Dunn of Data Driven Athlete put his go-pro cameras on my bike along with his power meter.  Below is the edited video of the last lap of the race.

Field Sprint Finish

I got 7th and while a break was up the road I was able to squeeze 3rd on the field sprint.  Not too bad for me although I really was visualizing myself winning this race this year.  Hey, you have to think big right?  The video is fun as you can see the need to hold your position as the last corner is close to the finish, yet the power meter will show that a lot of work and strength is needed to keep that position.   I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did making it.