Stage 1 - Davis-Santa Rosa, CA

Stage 1 Davis - Santa Rosa, 173.2 km/107.6 mi

Gustav's Time: 4:17
Average watts: 241 watts
Normalized power: 296 watts
Training Stress Score for the stage: 214 TSS
Kilojoules: 3,399 KJ
Mean Maximal 1-minute Power: 491 watts
Mean Maximal 5-minute Power: 449 watts
Mean Maximal 20-minute Power: 380 watts
Mean Maximal 60-minute Power: 324 watts

Team Saxo Bank's race leader Fabian Cancellara unfortunately had to abandon today's stage due to having a fever and the cold wet rain certainly didn't help either.

The stage was won by Rock Racing's Francesco Mancebo of Spain. This was an impressive victory. Truly amazing since Macebo attacked near the start of the stage and rode over 100 miles either alone or in small breakaway groups. On top of staying away all the way to the finish, he also had to out sprint Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) and Jurgen Van De Walle (Quick Step) as they caught Macebo with just under five miles to go.

Gustav Larsson had a rough day as well and was one of many who flatted because of all the debris being washed onto the roads. Gustav flatted at about the 50-mile mark just before the day's first major climb of Howell Mountain. Gustav chased back on with George Hincapie and all the while team Astana was setting a quick tempo on the front of the group which resulted in a breakaway which included Lance, Levi and several other Astana riders. Hincapie and Gustav were caught out and never had a chance to make it into the "Astana" group.

Team Saxo Bank's Bobby Julich commented on the weather saying, " I've never seen so much rain fall within a race. These guys had so much clothing and layers on. I hope that the weather gets better because it was hard to watch many riders suffering so bad with 'heavy' legs due to the cold weather from the warmth of the car."

Today's stage was actually not too strenuous on Gustav when you look at the power data. He averaged 241 watts and his maximum 20-minute power value was only 380 watts, well below the 400 watts he can maintain for a solid hour. However, the cold and wet conditions of today's stage could cause some additional muscle soreness and may make recovery a bit more difficult tonight. Hopefully Gustav has a good night's sleep and can recover well before another possible cold and wet stage tomorrow along the California coast line.

Gustav's thoughts are currently on tomorrow's stage now that his general classification result is no longer a main goal. He is focused on stage two and said, "tomorrow has a hard climb at the start where most likely a break will go. There is also a big climb at the end of the stage. What I will do all depends on what the team needs in order to help Jens Voigt and Andy Schleck."

The weather for stage two will be a concern again for the riders. Gustav mentioned "tomorrow is important to be in a good position on the descents as well as on the climbs. Just like today, positioning will be everything."

Click the first link below to view Gustav's race file. Learn how to navigate TrainingPeaks' all new File Viewer here.

Click the second link below to download Gustav's original WKO+ file uploaded from his SRM power meter. Once downloaded, you can then view his file in your own version of TrainingPeaks desktop analysis software, WKO+. If you don't have WKO+, dowload a free trial here.

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