Putting the Burn Back in the Legs and Lungs

For the second stage here at Romandie, we were treated to good weather and a difficult parcours. The break of two guys went easy and Sky took up the pace making quickly. There was a strong wind all day, but hiding in the peloton was not super easy. It was strung out all day under the pressure of Sky. The first two KOMs were pretty straight forward and just a solid tempo. After the feedzone and first passage of the finish line though, things got pretty real. The third KOM was definitely more lively and I had to fight a bit to save my life. It was good to be reminded what racing feels like. After the descent I tried to help Riccardo be in good position to start the final climb of the day. I tried to hold onto the field, but I was lacking some go in my legs. I think it is likely due to missing some racing. I'm hopeful that I will get better day by day here and if I can suffer a lot here, it will be the big boost to my fitness that I need going into California. That's my ultimate goal right now, so despite hating the feeling of not being where I want to, I am trying to be realistic, optimistic, and positive. I will do everything I can for the team here and if I get lucky, maybe I can get into a breakaway to try something myself or at least get a really solid day on the bike. We'll have to see how it goes!

On the team front, Riccardo is looking strong. He attacked several times on the last climb today, so hopefully he can stay fresh going into the weekend. For the next two stages, there is a chance of a sprint, especially Friday, so we will be looking after Giacomo who is riding very strong right now as well. If we can get him to the last few km of a race, he will have a very solid chance of winning. We're hoping for good things! The team morale is good here, so hopefully we can bring something together and get something out of this race. Stay tuned.