SSTraining_DanielsonAction First off, a big congratulations to my teammates in Italy. I knew they could win the TTT, and they did with class. It’s also cool to see Christian wear the leader’s jersey of the Giro! Awesome!

Over here in France, the 4 (really 6) Days of Dunkirk turned out to be just 4 and a half days for me. However, that’s just fine. I came here to get some high power outputs and I got four great days for that. Unfortunately, I have been dealing with an allergic reaction to something since the race started. I have been dealing with nausea in and out, achy muscles, and hives all over. Every day it has gotten a little worse and yesterday I was full blown in the hurt locker. I sprinted around the circuit for an hour, then decided to listen to my body and stop hurting it.

I think being a professional cyclist is one of the best jobs in the world, but also one of the most confusing. It’s full of ups, downs, and constant struggle. Those who succeed learn how to correctly understand and manage the struggle to maximize the height of the highs. This seems to be my current theme as I am doing my best to comeback from my horrible injuries from the crash last September in the fastest way possible. So today, when my body said no, I listened. Now its time to flush this toxin out of my body and maximize the great training I got here.

Next up for me is the Tour of Catalunya, which is a good race for me. It is through my adopted European home region of Spain which makes it “familiar” for me. I know most of the climbs and the roads from either training or past races. I am excited for it for sure!

One last note about about Dunkirk was how much I enjoyed seeing all the juniors of each town come out to the stage starts. Each morning we went to sign in, a new local junior team was there in their respective team colors greeting us with smiling faces. There is nothing better to brighten your day than inspired kids!

Get out and ride! TD