Nine years after highlighting his ability with overall victory in the Tour de Langkawi, Tom Danielson will once again line out in the Malaysian race as part of his programme in 2012.
The 33 year old Garmin-Cervélo rider is currently building form after his best season ever, and is looking forward to the chance to get some good racing in early on. He feels a particular affection for the Malaysian race, both because of his win in 2003 and his fifth place two years later, and also because of the nature of the event itself.
“It’s 110 degrees, it’s hot, humid, monkeys are on the road,” Danielson told the Denver Post. “I love it.”
The news is significant for the Tour de Langkawi, as the rider’s strong time trial abilities and climbing strength marks him out as someone who could perform very well. He is likely to lead the Garmin-Cervélo squad there, and could collect a morale-boosting result early in the year.
The race organisers know he’s a big name and he should attract good spectator and media attention.
Before traveling for that event, he will have a training camp with the team in January.
Danielson had a superb 2011 season, placing ninth overall in his first Tour de France and being the highest-placed American finisher. He was also third in the Tour of California, fourth in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and fifth in the Tour of Utah. Equally significantly, he received a major morale boost with his Tour ride, arguably his best performance to date and one which shows he is back to top form after some difficult seasons.
The American is known to find pressure stifling, and for that reason he doesn’t want to set performance targets for the race. “A good performance for me in the Tour de France is going in with confidence and without expectation,” he explained, “because I think that’s a limiter for me.
“I either meet that expectation and I stay at that expectation, or I don’t meet it and I become frustrated because I didn’t meet it. My goal and a good performance is to go there with no expectation and with a lot of heart and give it my all every single day from the start to the finish line. If I do that, then I think I’d make a good [showing].”