Hey France ...here we come ! LOVE the tour :O
He had returned
from Europe disenchanted by an experience with a low-level team. He
wasn't sure what his future held, but he knew he still loved to ride. So
with few other options and the support of his family, he loaded up his
belongings and spent the summer living out of his car.
''I made
absolutely zero dollars that year,'' Talansky said, laughing. ''I still
own the car. It's a Honda Fit. It's a great car, man. Lives up to its
name. You can fit a surprising amount of things in it - time trial bike,
road bike, wheels, trainer, food, bags. Whatever you need.''Back then, though, what Talansky really needed was a chance.
When
he finally got one with a proper team, he was able to parlay it into a
career that's been on a steady climb. And now, after a stunning victory
over Contador and fellow Tour favorites Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nibali
in the recent Criterium du Dauphine, the 25-year-old Talansky is poised
to lead a new era of American cyclists in pursuit of the yellow jersey.
''When
you look at the last five years, it's pretty incredible what's
happened, every aspect of my life,'' Talansky said in a phone interview
from his training base in Girona, Spain, where he was getting in his
last workouts before the Tour's rolling start July 5 in Leeds, England.
''Every now and then you look at the whole thing and say,
'Wow.' But honestly? I always dreamed I'd be doing what I'm doing now,''
he said. ''I never dreamed of just scraping by.''
Those are the same dreams that drove Tejay van Garderen, Peter Stetina and countless other young American riders to not only try a largely European sport but also thrive in it.
Many of
them grew up idolizing Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer, and then
stuck with the embattled sport through each wave of doping allegations
that shook it to its very core. Now that Armstrong has acknowledged
doping, and his seven titles have been stricken from the books, Greg
LeMond stands as the only rider from the U.S. to have legitimately won
the Tour.
''We're all very
supportive of what we're trying to do,'' Talansky explained of the
American contingent, ''and that's to be a credible new generation that
promotes the sport in a good way and brings fans back to the sport, fans
who have maybe been disillusioned by the past.''
The best way to do that, of course, is by winning.
Van Garderen, who will lead the BMC Racing Team at the Tour,
may be the most accomplished of the new generation. He stunned the
cycling world two years ago when, at the age of 23, he finished fifth
overall while helping teammate Cadel Evans capture victory on the
Champs-Elysees.
Van Garderen had a disappointing showing in France last year, but rebounded to win the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. He's battled injuries this year but has been rounding into form.
''I'm definitely confident in my ability to be a contender at the Tour,'' van Garderen said. ''Obviously, Froome is the No. 1 guy, the defending Tour champion. Contador has had a stellar season. He's barely lost any race he's started. They're the two five-star favorites. But behind them you have a lot of guys who have a chance.''
Van
Garderen will be helped over the 21 stages, 3,656 kilometers and the
harrowing climbs of the Alps and Pyrenees, by the 26-year-old Stetina,
who will be making his Tour debut.
''Tejay
is our guy,'' BMC Racing president Jim Ochowicz said. ''He's going in
there alone to be our leader, and we'll have eight strong guys around
him to make sure that job gets done.''
Meanwhile, Talansky has been designated the leader of Garmin-Sharp.
''We've
all been building the team for the Tour de France around Andrew from
Day 1,'' said Jonathan Vaughters, the team's chief executive. ''A lot of
people earlier this year thought that was a little crazy, but we
decided to take that approach.''
Nobody thinks he's crazy anymore.
Starting
the final stage of the Criterium du Dauphine, a major Tour warm-up,
Talansky slipped into an early breakaway that Froome and Contador both
missed. When he crossed the finish line, he realized he had wiped out
his 39-second deficit and won the biggest race of his career.
Stamped himself as one of the Tour favorites, too.
''It's
good to have expectations, it's good to have goals, but I'm a very big
believer in realistic goals,'' Talansky said. ''The goal is to really
improve on last season's result. I ended up 10th last year. Go ride
consistently, safely, strongly for three weeks, and if I do that the
result will significantly improve.''
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