The Sun-Sentinel.com features Jason Donald and the dietary needs and discipline of the Slipstream/Chipotle H3O team. Said Donald, “I eat the same thing everybody else should eat,” says Donald, a native of Winter Park, Colo. “Fruits and vegetables and a little protein. People would be surprised at how normal my diet is.”

For those of you who remember my little monologue back in November at our team launch, perhaps you vaguely recall one rather somber note. I said, ‘We must embrace failure and celebrate the rarity of victory.” Those of you who have been following our team’s rather euphoric ride for the last six weeks were probably wondering what the heck I was talking about.

Well, now you know.

We’ve let all our fans and the media see the reality of what goes on inside our team. And now the reality of what’s going on is tough. That is the way cycling really is. Mechanical victories and spotlessly perfect racing is something you’ll never see with us. Because, quite frankly, if that were the case, we wouldn’t be who we say we are - we wouldn’t be human.

In true cycling, you have very few great moments a year surrounded by a sea of suffering. This is just the way the sport is. It’s a sport where if one little thing goes wrong, everything comes crumbling down. That’s why you must celebrate, truly celebrate in your heart, when you do happen upon a win.

I know, I know. Paris-Nice was supposed to be our first “objective,” but let me tell you a secret: when you race with a human body, form comes and goes. Good days happen when you least expect them, and bad days happen when you’re supposed to be good.

We’ve already performed far above people’s expectations this year. Now we will fall short of them for a bit. It is the hardness of a sport where 180 start, 120 finish, and only 1 guy wins. It’s the hardest sport imaginable for the human body. And sometimes that human body fails the test.

Don’t worry. Just when you’ve given up on loving Argyle, and seen all our flaws, that’s exactly when we’ll win something you never thought we could. And most likely, we never thought we could either.

You’re getting a seat on the inside and all can say is buckle up. The ups and downs are big on this rollercoaster.

JV

Finishing on the sunny slopes of Mont Ventoux, the Argyle Armada kept the fight up despite being battered, bruised and sick. Tyler Farrar crashed during the stage but managed to finish chin up. Trent Lowe maintained his GC position despite being beat up from his bike-breaking crash yesterday. And David Millar kept it together for the finish while suffering from a slight fever and regular cough.

Said Directeur Sportif Vaughters: “David has a slight fever. He’s coughing every two minutes. It’s not good.”

“But he’s going to try and start tomorrow to keep morale on the team up,” continued Vaughters. “He wants to show the young guys he appreciates their hard work for him earlier this week.”

Slipstream stage 4 results
1. Cadel Evans 4:32′56″

42. Trent Lowe +05′19″
47. Lucas Euser +06′16″
57. Christophe Laurent +08′19″
59. Christian Vande Velde +08′48″
66. Danny Pate +11′17″
124. Tyler Farrar +21′07″
135. David Millar +21′07″
141. Tom Peterson +21′07″

Slipstream GC after stage 4
1. Robert Gesink 17:10′12″

21. Trent Lowe +09′27″
47. Christian Vande Velde +27′46″
49. David Millar +28′13″
70. Danny Pate +34′22″
75. Christophe Laurent +36′31″
128. Lucas Euser +52′39″
131. Tyler Farrar +53′16″
145. Tom Peterson +1:07′21″

Another day - and a long one - of controlled Italian racing down here at Tirreno. The first two-up attack of the day was gone instantly. Rabobank and Milram each tossed a few up front to keep things in control. It did seem like people underestimated the last climb.

After 180 km of cruising through some spectacular rolling hills, lush right now after some winter rain, the racing finally started up. Everybody raced for the base of the climb and the throw down ensued.

The hill proved to be more of a climb and the race blew to sheds with about 50 guys battling for the stage and the rest of us rolling in easy. Funny how in France it would have been balls-out to the finish in little groups, but here everybody is content to just relax and cruise it in. Not a complaint here!

For those of us here as prep for the Classics ahead, we couldn’t ask for anything better. Fortunately our GC guys stayed right where they needed to be and are all looking good going forward.

Tomorrow should be another fairly chill day until the end. But a 2 km wall, 20% in spots, that we hit 20 km to go should shake things up.

- Will

Slipstream stage 2 results
1. Raffaele Illiana 5:01′10″ (40.4 kph)

17. Ryder Hesjedal
38. Timmy Duggan
63. David Zabriskie
101. Martijn Maaskant
132. Julian Dean
133. Chris Sutton
134. Will Frischkorn
162. Magnus Backstedt

Slipstream GC after stage 2
1. Enrico Gasparotto 9:11′05″

18. Ryder Hesjedal
52. Timmy Duggan
61. David Zabriskie
93. Chris Sutton
136. Martijn Maaskant
144. Julian Dean
145. Will Frischkorn
165. Magnus Backstedt

Well that sucked! I just couldn’t hold it when it went full gas on the last climb. I don’t really understand. I have been feeling a bit tired these last couple of days. I’ve not been my usual early riser and have not been feeling like I’ve been in control in the racing. I was hoping I would be ok today, but hoping only gets one so far!

I think in all honesty I may have over estimated myself. Doing Qatar and California 100% perhaps in hindsight was not the best approach to a good Paris-Nice. But at the same time I wouldn’t change a thing. Now I am going for a stage win here!

The team is great and the results today don’t tell the full story. Trent and myself were looked after amazingly well, with Christian being the super domestique. Trent would surely have been in yellow tonight if he hadn’t crashed at the bottom of the climb.

Now we’re going to have to race aggressively and make everybody know Slipstream/Chipotle is here and won’t go down without fighting. The four days ahead are suited to our riders and our style of racing, and there’s no rain in the forecast.

Keep following. We’re gonna give it hell!

Though the weather was finally on the side of the cyclists, chance was not today for Slipstream/Chipotle. On the last section of today’s 165 km stage, Trent Lowe (left) crashed into a pole that had not been indicated.

“It just suddenly appeared and I had no where to go,” said Trent. His bike broken, Trent waited with Christian, Danny and David for a new ride. Then it was all they could do to gain back lost time for the young Australian.

“It was just too bad because we were all feeling really good today and were in good position,” Trent continued. “Danny and Christian were going really well. They really worked and managed to help me make up a lot of time after the crash - at least a minute.”

Trent said though disappointed, the team was ready to rally for tomorrow’s penultimate stage finish at the Mont Serein ski station, 15 km up the north side of Mont Ventoux.

“Tomorrow, Christian and I are going to take a crack at a stage win. He is feeling really good and I think if we can get away, we have a chance.”

Slipstream stage 3 results
1. Kjell Carlstrom 4:39′14″

39. Trent Lowe +05′07″
46. David Millar +08′04″
65. Christian Vande Velde +17′06″
120. Christophe Laurent +19′36″
122. Tyler Farrar +019′36″
131. Lucas Euser +19′36″
134. Danny Pate +19′36″
145. Tom Peterson +19′36″

Slipstream GC after stage 3
1. Sylvain Chavanel 12:37′01″

21. Trent Lowe +04′23″
34. David Millar +07′21″
56. Christian Vande Velde +19′13″
74. Danny Pate +23′20″
99. Christophe Laurent +28′27″
118. Tyler Farrar +32′24″
143. Tom Peterson +46′29″
144. Lucas Euser +46′38″

Well, we set the race up the best we could have for Trent. Sadly, he crashed into a pole avoiding another crash and broke his bike. Since the peloton was split to pieces every where, we were a ways behind in the car. So no spare bike.

His teammates couldn’t help much either, as their bikes are a bit big for our smurf-like Aussie. So, there they were, four of them–Trent, David, Christian and Danny–waiting on the side of the rode for us to show up with a bike.

Trent lost about five minutes as did the rest of the team. Live as a team, die as a team. [Christian and Danny are pictured above right working to pull Trent back into the fray.]

We are just so fortunate that Trent wasn’t hurt worse. Very lucky considering how fast they were going.

It’s amazing how delicate the balance of everything is in cycling. One bad moment at the wrong time and it all falls apart. We’ve been lucky and unlucky this year–all at once sometimes.

Tomorrow is another day, as they say.