Tom Danielson has one week to go before finishing his first grand tour of his young European career. The Discovery Channel rider is sitting comfortably in the top 10 at eighth overall at 12:05 back.

The 27-year-old struggled through a bad stomach in Friday’s stage that nearly took him out of action ahead of this weekend’s epic climbing stages across northern Spain. Danielson struggled through it and now he enters the final week more motivated than ever to finish strongly.

VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood caught up with Danielson during Monday’s rest day in León. Here are excerpts from the interview:

VeloNews.com: Two weeks into the Vuelta, how are the legs holding up?

Tom Danielson: Good. I kind of had a scare three days ago, when I had a stomach virus on Friday. I was completely vomiting during the race. I got completely depleted. It was a really fast stage, we did like 200km with average speed of 50kph. It was 60kph on the flats and I could barely hold onto the group. I was cramping in my arms and back. I was in really bad, bad condition. I was panicking big time. I didn’t know what to do. I was vomiting and couldn’t eat anything. I fought through it. I didn’t lose so much time, but I took a lot out of myself. Mentally I was a bit broken. I used a lot of mental power. I wasn’t so confident two days later for the bigger mountain stages.

VN.com: Was it something you ate?

TD: It wasn’t food. Maybe my immune system was worn down. The morning before the stage I felt bad. During the stage was when it hit. It was highlighted during the stress and effort of the stage. I was trying to ingest food, but nothing would stay down. I don’t want to make excuses. It was a big lesson I learned. I can recover from it without a big loss of time. I proved to myself my head is strong. Now I am excited that I was able to fight through it. It’s taught me I can have a bad moment and overcome it. If you’re strong in the mind, your body will follow.

VN.com: What other lessons have you learned two weeks into the Vuelta?

TD: I know for sure to be a grand-tour racer you have to have the engine, the mental strength and the team. It’s been cool to see each component working here in this Vuelta. I’ve been trying to take them all in. I’ve taken a lot from this tour. The first week was very nervous. I used tons of energy all over the place. To be able to be here and still feel strong is exciting for me. With more experience and more focus, the future is (looking good).

VN.com: How was it for you going up Covadonga in Saturday’s stage?

TD: I fought through the stage. I was okay, not super. That was a good climb for me, but I was completely empty, only able to ride in one gear. I was a bit scared after that. I knew I had pushed myself into the ground. I was happy where I was in the GC, after all I went through.

VN.com: And Sunday’s stage to Pajares?

TD: I wasn’t sure I could do it one more day. I had never done this before. What is going to happen to me now? The night before the last mountain stage I was a little stressed. I told myself, ‘You have to be strong, you have to fight tomorrow’. I knew the race was going to get blown upside down. I was hoping my body was going to be there. I was trying to spare energy when I could. On the last climb I felt awesome. The last three days were a big performance for me. I had some problems, I recovered, I got through it and I finished off strong. I have some positive momentum. It’s a great lesson. When I am in the same position again I the future, I know I can fight through it.

VN.com: You haven’t been quite strong enough to follow the top five. Why is that?

TD: Every day I’ve gone up a climb, I’ve never done 100 percent because I don’t know what’s next. The top guys are racing for the overall with strong teams. Then you have us racing for the top 10. We have to be careful. If you try to follow Heras or Sastre, you could dig yourself a hole because you could blow up and lose 10 minutes. I need to focus on what I am racing for. Heras is racing to drop Menchov. They have more energy. Every time I’ve gone up the climb I’ve done it with a lot of caution.

VN.com: The team lost four riders – what’s the spirit like?

TD: It’s good now. We have a goal and we’re working hard towards it. Michael is improving. The day before stage one, he crashed in a training ride and broke a rib. On Sunday, Michael put in the front group when Heras attacked. He and Benjamin (Noval) are helping me. Michael has done above and beyond his job. He’s there for me every day. We have four guys, but we have very strong four guys. We have all of our guys in top 50.

VN.com: What are you expecting in the final week?

TD: Our goal is to keep the top 10. First, my goal is to finish, but we have to have a goal to race for. The goal from the start was just to finish, but the best way to learn is to be in the race. I didn’t expect this. It’s my first grand tour. The Vuelta is faster than the other races I’ve done. The climbing speeds are ridiculous. I’ve been very fortunate to have a great team, that’s why I’m in this situation. Still, there’s no pressure. My ultimate goal isn’t to finish top 10. Now I have to be careful not to put too much pressure. This is just a step in the right direction. Sometimes I find myself not sleeping and I think, ‘If you feel pressure now, what would you feel like if you’re in the leader’s jersey?’ Look at how Lance deals with it, he loves the pressure. If I wasn’t doing it, I would be at home wishing I would be doing it.

VN.com: Looking ahead to the final week, is there a day you’d like to test your legs?

TD: We’ll take a conservative approach. I think the mountains are quite a way from the finish in the line in the remaining stages, so it’s not worth it. That would involve getting into a breakaway, that might use a lot of energy and then that might affect the final time trial. I want to finish strong in Madrid. Finish strong and be ready to do more.