Danielson breaks on through
Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel) delivered a very strong performance in Saturday's opening time trial of the 60th Vuelta a España, posting a fifth-place finish at 12 seconds off the wining time set by Denis Menchov. Danielson was more than pleased with his ride on the 7km course along the ramparts of the Alhambra palace high above sweltering Granada in southern Spain. For the 27-year-old, it was the first day of what he hopes will be a consistent Vuelta ride.FullResults "I felt good," Danielson said. "The war has just begun. This is just the first shot. I'll take it day by day and see what happens." Danielson's first goal is to make it to Madrid and conclude his first three-week tour of his career. His grand tour debut in May ended after nine stages at the Giro d'Italia when an inflamed knee forced his early departure. Rest and physical therapy relieved the pain and Danielson trained hard without complications to prepare for the Vuelta. "I've had some good training and some good tests. I've come to this race ready," he said. "Experience isn't always with me, but luckily I have Johan (Bruyneel) and Dirk (Demol) here and we'll see what happens." Discovery Channel comes to the Vuelta without a clear leader, though the team is hopeful Tour de France veterans José Azevedo and Manuel Beltrán can step up. That takes the pressure off Danielson to ride his own race, something racing fans are keen to see how far the former mountain biker can go. Vande Velde feeling good
Christian Vande Velde was all smiles after returning to the Team CSC bus following his opening salvo in Saturday's stage. At the time, he came through fifth, and eventually his time of 10:05 was good enough for a strong 11th place on the day. "I've been progressing well over last month and a half or so. Wouldn't say I feel amazing, but it's nice to have the legs feeling good," he said. "It was a concerted over the course of the hill, because if you went 100 percent, there would be a big explosion and you'd be hung out to dry at the end." The 29-year-old is sounding optimistic ahead of this year's Vuelta, where the team is rallying behind Spanish team leader Carlos Sastre. "We'll see how it goes. Day one is already better than I expected, so we'll take it day by day," he said. "Hopefully we can pull something off. Carlos is such a good guy, I have no problems working for him." Vande Velde, 29, said he's feeling good after reloading for the second half of the season. His primary goal this year was helping Ivan Basso at the Giro d'Italia, who won two stages but fell short of overall victory when the Italian fell ill in the Dolomites. Vande Velde, meanwhile, took a short break before attending a team training camp in July ahead of the Tour of Austria. Mid-season training camps aren't common, but Vande Velde is sold on the idea now. "I really feared that when I heard about it February. Now that it happened I'm really glad we did it," he said. "It really helped me get my mind ready for the rest of the season." Vande Velde is optimistic his nagging health problems that pestered him through the 2002-03 seasons are finally a thing of the past. His smiles at the finish line were proof that things are looking good. For Vande Velde, he's still the seasoned pro. One good day doesn't make the looming suffering any easier. "There's always a lot of anticipation before a big tour," he said. "Everyone gets worried if they lose 25 seconds on the first day, but who cares? You might be two hours behind in three weeks." Sastre top Spanish rider
With all eyes on a duel between the top Spanish riders, one name that seems to be overlooked is Carlos Sastre. The easy going 30-year-old finished in the top 10 last year in both the Tour and the Vuelta, but he's still considered an outsider to finish on the podium this year. That conventional wisdom might change in the coming weeks and his strong performance Saturday - fourth at seven seconds slower - put him as the top Spanish rider on the day. "The specialists had the advantage today, so I am pleased with the ride," Sastre said. "The sensations are good and I am going to give 100 percent for this Vuelta." Sastre will enjoy strong support from Team CSC, which brings a balanced team including veterans such as Andrea Peron, Christian Vande Velde, Giovanni Lombardi and Nicki Sorensen to help protect his flanks. A strong climber who's improved in the time trial, Sastre helped teammate Ivan Basso to finish second in this year's Tour. With his contract up at the end of this season, Sastre is anxious to have a strong ride to prove he's still worthy of team leader status. "I've recovered well from the Tour and I'm coming to this Vuelta with fresh legs," Sastre said. "We'll see if my legs have the same motivation as my head." What's next
The 60th Vuelta a España continues Sunday with the 189km second stage from Granada to Córdoba. Temperatures are expected to push into the mid-90s as the peloton rolls across the undulating course in Spain's sun-baked Andalusia region. The course hits the Cat. 2 Alto de San Jerónimo at 13km from the finish line in Córdoba, which boast the spectacular historical gem of the Mezquita.

Danielson is primed to take on the Vuelta

Photo: Graham Watson