Quick quiz: Can you name the highest-placed American in the Tour de France after Stage 12? Do you know who on Team Garmin-Cervelo is less than a minute behind the defending champ? Who is giving the argyle armada its fourth different breakout performance in four years at the Tour? And finally, what 33-year-old is currently sitting in ninth place overall in his Tour debut? You can answer all of these questions with one name: Tom Danielson. Here's the intro to the team's race recap, showcasing Tommy D's great ride today and throughout July.
The Tour rookie stayed with the GC favorites until the final, late-stage attacks with just a few kilometers to go in the grueling, three-climb 211km stage from Cugnaux to Luz-Ardiden. Samuel Sanchez won the stage and Danielson crossed the line 11th at 1:03 back. “I felt good, stayed steady and listened to my body, I rode the best I could and I was pretty close in the end, so I am satisfied,” Danielson said in the team's race report. “I cannot complain.I was a little empty at the end, with those guys’ accelerations came in the end. For me, the key is to be steady every single day, and when I have an opportunity, take it.”
After the stage, VeloNews veteran reporter John Wilcockson caught up with Tommy D. Here's part of his interview, and you can read the whole thing at VeloNews.com: Danielson has finished top 10 at the Vuelta — seventh in 2005, sixth in 2006 and ninth in 2010 — but those placings never earned him a Tour slot until now. Asked how the two grand tours compared, he said, “I don’t know. I think I’m in better shape here so I’m actually suffering less here than I was at the Vuelta. But I guess it’s harder. It’s definitely faster and there’s a lot more attention on it. There were a lot more people (on today’s stage). I was having trouble seeing where I was going with all the flashes and stuff. So that was pretty cool. A lot of fun.”
