Katalonija je zagotovo najtežja dirka v moji karieri do sedaj. Contador je že pred štartom dejal da se startna lista lahko primerja s Tour de France. Veliko sem razmišljal o etapah, saj je trasa potekala po cestah, kjer sem treniral zadnje 4 mesece. Start v Gironi je bil zame skoraj na domačem pragu. Vsak dan smo poskušali v beg, pa ni ratalo do zadnjega dne – čeprav sem bil, čisto pošteno, pečen že v sredo. Po katalonski prestolnici se nikoli nisem vozil, vse do prejšnje nedelje – v zadnji etapi so nas na koncu čakali krogi na zeleni hribček Montjuic nad Barcelono. Ljudje so stali na cesti, dovolj prostora je bilo za eno kolo, nekaj kar sem do zdaj videl samo po TV. Fantastičen občutek, sploh če mimo priletiš prvi. Če bi mi kdo pred etapo rekel, da bom drugi bi podpisal. Vedno se kaj naučiš, čeprav na trd način. Nočem preveč razmišljati o če če če-jih, še veliko jih bo. 😀 Počitek se mi je že iztekel, tako da hop proti novim izzivom, na višino na Tenerife… Hvala vsem za čestitke!
Volta Catalunya was the hardest race of my career. Alberto Contador said already before the start, that the line up can be compared with Tour de France. I was thinking a lot about the stages, because the race visited places where I was training for the last 4 months. The start of the third stage in Girona was almost in the backyard for me. Every day we tried to be in a breakaway, and for me, it didn’t happen until Sunday, even thought I was already done on Wedensday. I never rode in Barcelona – till that last stage of Volta Catalunya. we were riding loops over the green top of Montjuic in Barcelona -beautiful! People were standing on the road, leaving enough space only for one rider, so far I saw this only on TV. It is a special feeling, especially if you cross the crowd as a first rider. If someone said to me, before the last stage that I will be second – I would sign. You always learn something out of it, even if it is the hard way. I don’t want to think too much about “what if…”- it will be a lot of “if`s”! So my rest days are over, now it is time to face new challenges in altitude training camp in Tenerife. Thank you all for congratulations! 😀
