Dave Zabriskie is making headlines this week as the leader of the Tour de Langkawi but at the race itself, he’s also gaining considerable attention for his offbeat sense of humour and at-times peculiar logic.
He’s also come across as very relaxed about the race, professing yesterday not to know the parcours for today’s lumpy190 kilometre race from Air Keroh to Pandan Indah. Asked how he felt about a stage which was tougher than those which came before, he admitted that he didn’t know the details and asked a media person recording the outdoor press conference to give some information.
Acting translator and conference host Jeff Quenet stepped in, telling him that it featured second category climbs plus a third category ramp ten kilometres from the end.
“Interesting….” he said, digesting the details. “It would be nice to get a hill in the race. We’ll just take that when it comes tomorrow, as with everything else.”
Then, after a pause: “I’m not freaking out, I guess.”
Zabriskie then asked how the Genting Highlands climb was ranked, saying that he presumed it was category 1. Hearing that it was a hors category ascent, he looked shocked.
He had previously said that he wasn’t ruling out being able to keep the jersey on its slopes.
The US time trial champion started today’s stage with a one minute buffer over Friday’s TT runner-up Adam Phelan (Drapac Cycling). The latter dropped out during the stage, most likely due to injuries he suffered on stage two, and his team-mate Darren Laphorne moved up to virtual second overall.
The race is still being fought out, and so it will be some time before it will be seen if further changes take place or not.
Zabriskie gave a somewhat zany interview after Sunday’s third stage of the race. Seeking to cool down after a very hot leg to Parit Sulong, he took refuge from the sun in a large café near the finish line.
Although brief, the subsequent conversation with VeloNation mentioned bananas, carcinogens, mutations, sauna-like racing conditions and life as a movie. It was surreal, and also a welcome difference from more straightforward post-race interviews.