Mr. Rogers' neighborhood: That's one angry Aussie
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“I’m hungry. I’m a determined man. I’m going to rip some legs off next year. If you see me in the leader’s jersey next year at ‘Toona… you’d better stay out my way.”
This quote of the week comes courtesy of Saturn’s Nathan O’Neill, whohad one hell of a rollercoaster 2003 but is currently without a team for2004.
A four-time Australian national time trial champion, O’Neill had competedat both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta de España riding with theItalian Panaria squad before heading to the States to sign with Saturnlate last year. In his first season of domestic racing, he won all butone time trial he contested, taking second overall at Redlands to teammateChris Horner (by one second) just days before winning the Sea Otter Classicstage race.
But O’Neill, who will be 29 on November 23, saw his impressive seasonend prematurely on July 31 during the International/Tour de ‘Toona aftera gruesome high-speed crash 150 meters from the finish line landed himin the hospital with two broken vertebra. Like the crash he suffered earlierin the season at the Tour de Langkawi, O’Neill was wearing the leader’sjersey at the time.
After spending most of August in a halo neck brace, O’Neill underwentsurgery to have one of the vertebrae fixed with a titanium screw. Twelveweeks have passed since the successful operation, and O’Neill is now backon the bike, putting in four-to-five hour training rides on the roads surrounding his new home near Atlanta, Georgia, in preparation for January’s Australian national championships.
Like his friend and Saturn teammate Horner, O’Neill is without a contractfor the upcoming season. The pair talk regularly, in hopes that they canride together again, ideally under the Team Sports organization that ranthe Saturn program and has since joined forces with the Prime Allianceorganization. But O’Neill admits that as the days tick by and Team Sports’general manager Tom Schuler continues to search for a title sponsor, theuncertainty continues to wear on him.
Domestic power squads Health Net, Navigators and Colavita-Bolla havefilled their 2004 rosters, and budgets for the domestic teams that remainpale in comparison to what Horner and O’Neill received at Saturn. In abest-case scenario, unsigned Prime Alliance riders Alex Candelario, DannyPate, Michael Creed and Matt Decanio would join Horner and O’Neill undera Team Sports squad to form a fourth powerhouse.
“It’s kind of ironic,” O’Neill said, “Horner and I still don’t knowwhere we’re going to be riding next year. Based on our results, I expectednot to be in this situation. I’m keeping in touch with [Schuler], and hopefully he’ll repay thetrust I've shown for him when he’s got something.”
And while O’Neill has entertained offers from other domestic teams,he noted that a certain emerging powerhouse expressed interest in him priorto his accident and hasn’t contacted him since.
“[Health Net’s] Greg Raifman and I exchanged emails and calls in Juneand July; however, after my accident, I never heard from him again," saidO'Neill. “Not a ‘How are you doing,’ nothing. I’m wondering, ‘Did I saythe wrong thing to somebody?’ It’s frustrating, but now I’m fully recoveredand getting ready for next year.”
It was then that O’Neill dished out our quote of the week.
“I’m hungry,” he said, a hint of anger in his voice. “I’m going to ripsome legs off next year.”
In reference to the unfinished business in Pennsylvania, he added, “Ifyou see me in the leader’s jersey next year at ‘Toona, you’d better stayout my way.”
And what of the heavily-favored Health Net squad of David Clinger, MikeSayers, Gord Fraser, Chris Wherry, Scott Moninger, John Lieswyn, WalkerFerguson, et al?
“I look at the Health Net team and it seems like a huge super Goliath,”O’Neill said, “but I look again and it’s not as intimidating as it seems.The big question is how they’re going to work together with all those guyswho are used to being leaders. The fact is, a team of champions will fallto a champion team every day of the week. Look at the New York Yankeesin this year's World Series”
O’Neill is headed to Australia at the end of November with his homeland’snational championships in sight.
“I’d like to have a contract before I leave,” O’Neill said. “The nextten days are pivotal. But if nothing comes up, I may end up riding nationalsin a plain white jersey.”
In other signing news, American Damon Kluck has signed with U.S. PostalService presented by Berry Floor for the 2004 season. Kluck, 26, rode forSaturn in 2002 and signed with Postal last fall. After a difficult yearovercoming a hamstring injury, a healthy Kluck rediscovered his form androde well at the T-Mobile International in San Francisco, finishing 18th,squarely in the lead group. He also finished his first World Cup, Paris-Tours,albeit in 143rd place, 15 minutes back of winner Erik Zabel (Telekom).
Earlier this year American climbing phenom Tom Danielson founded a collegiatescholarship foundation, and this week USA Cycling announced an eBay auctionof bikes and related gear from Danielson’s career benefiting student-athletesand collegiate cycling programs.
“Tom Danielson was a product of the collegiate cycling program at FortLewis College and his success as a Collegiate National Mountain Bike Championand road pro with the Saturn Cycling Team is well documented,” states thepress release. “Riding for the Italian Fassa Bartolo team next season,Danielson is giving back to his roots and the development program thatspawned his cycling career.”
“Collegiate cycling provided me with all the tools to be a successfulprofessional cyclist,” said the 25-year-old Danielson. “Not only did itgive me cycling opportunities with top notch racing and coaching, but ittaught me how to manage myself. I believe self-management is the key tosuccess. Juggling class, training, studying, relationships and other obstacleshave instilled in me a strong work ethic and taught me how to use my timeefficiently. In addition, overcoming each obstacle gave me a sense of self-accomplishment and confidence that I could handle anything the real world could throw at me.”
The auction runs from Nov. 21 to Dec. 5, 2004, For more informationon the auction, visit www.tomdanielson.com.We'llalso post direct links to his auction page when it starts on eBay.
Somehow I got my hands on the 26-page “Velo-Dictionary,” a humorouscompilation of definitions of all things bicycle created and complied byBrian McFadzen.
A few examples:Velocracy – the state of being ruled by the bicycle; a place where the bicycle rules.Veloratory – the art or practice of public speaking on a cycling subject; “holding forth” on any subject while riding a bicycle or stationary cycle-like device.Veluptuous – an adjective describing a bicycle with considerable sensual appeal; (Slang) a cyclist with shapely legs and tight buns.You get the idea. The Velo-Dictionary is available for $10 CDN at www.velotique.comAny proceeds are donated to the Canadian Multiple Sclerosis Society onbehalf of the Canadian cycling community.
For cyclists out there looking to build up that usually neglected upperbody over the winter, I’ve discovered a pretty clever gadget called theDoor Gym that brings a new spin on doorframe pull-ups, sit-ups and push-ups.
(Actually I have to give credit to Eric Neal, operations manager hereat VeloNews global headquarters, for the discovery. A recent officehappy hour led a few of us back to Eric’s place, where his Door Gym inspireda drunken testosterone-filled strength contest, but more on that anothertime. Needless to say, I was sold, and currently have one hanging in mydoorway at home.)
The premise of the Door Gym is pretty basic — it’s a U-shaped removablepull-up bar that works as a cantilever against the wall and doorframe oppositethe wall the user faces. Unlike permanently installed doorframe pull-upbars, the Door Gym mounts and dismounts in seconds, and can easily be stowedout of sight.
I was a little skeptical the first time I tried it out, but the DoorGym easily handles my weight — 160 lbs — and was designed to be removedand used as a sit-up bar as well, and can be placed on the ground for push-ups.The only real drawback I can see is for people 6 foot 2 or taller, as theirknees may reach the ground when their arms are fully extended.
For more info, check out www.doorgym.net
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