Tirreno–Adriatico - Stage 7

We were all-in to defend Simon’s lead heading into Stage 7 knowing it was the final teammate test before the ITT. Our goal was to give him as much buffer as possible.

With the GC only separated by seconds, it was a tense and drawn-out start with constant attacking and reshuffling for almost 60 kilometers. Despite more than a decade as a pro, I still get a little nervous for days like these. I just keep reminding myself that I’ve been here before----I’ve defended jerseys successful and I’ve been in the fight to stay at the front of the bunch even in moments where it’s splitting and getting whittled down.

We did a good job sharing the workload and the bigger guys on the team kept fighting to come back after the hillier sections. Eventually, a strong group got some daylight and we were happy with the combination in terms of the overall.

I spent a while back at the team car troubleshooting a malfunctioning radio because communication is especially important on days like this, even though I prefer to stay out of the cars. In the end, I was relieved to get it sorted.

As we came into the circuits, Astana ramped it up and we knew an attack off the front from them would come at some point. Despite leading the race, we still had to battle to hold position on the relentless circuit and I had to really focus on one lap at a time.

With just over one lap to go, counterattacks began to fly and Fuglsang (Astana) let it loose to bridge to a teammate who had snuck away a bit earlier.

With a couple of minutes cushion, we stayed together and I went to the front to keep the gap in check and try to deter other attacks or mayhem.

I was digging deep and doing a maximum controlled effort, knowing I needed to last more than a few minutes, but also realizing I couldn’t afford to catch my breath or back off.

I sent my sights on the base of the penultimate climb to drop the guys off. As I sprinted to the corner, I was relieved to have them on my wheel and then see them fly by as I pulled off. I was totally pegged and gasping for a few gulps of air and fluid. From there, I limped in, losing over 10 minutes in less than 10 kilometers but happy I could deliver a strong and productive effort.

After I pulled off, Lucas then took over and brought Jack and Simon into the final two uphill kilometers where they charged to the line. Simon maintained his GC position and Jack held on for a strong top 10.

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