Place 30 - Joseph Lloyd Dombrowski

Joseph Lloyd Dombrowski

USA

12.05.1991

 

Speciality: Climber – Stage racer

Most important successes: Stage win Giro della Valle d'Aosta Mont Blanc

Team/Club 2011: Trek - Livestrong u23

Stagiaire: -

Team 2012: Trek - Livestrong u23

Best Mock List placing: new

Web: joe-dombrowski.blogspot.com

twitter.com

 

As a more or less unknown rider, Joseph Dombrowski, born in Marshall, Virginia, joined Trek – Livestrong in last years August a a stagiare. His first steps and pedal strokes, Broski did on his mountain bike and in cyclocross. Especially in the latter discipline, he could win a few races inside the national calendar in 2009 and 2010. His climbing skills became clearly visible in road racing, which was ultimately decisive for a transfer to Trek – Livestrong. First as a stagiare in August 2010. For the 2011 season, then as a regular.

 

Those who love training at cold temperatures in January, cross-races and training rides on garveled mountain roads in Virginia, brings along the perfect qualifications for the harsh life as a professional cyclist. So it can occur, that the early form is so good in the californian training camp at the end of February, that you distance your team mates by minutes, while climbing and so miss a team photo. If he had to smoke a Purito later in the evening, is not known.

The first entry in the result lists of the year, we find at the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico. Two third places in mountain stage arrivals, which were both won by the dominator of the American scene Francisco Mancebo. He finished the race at sixth overall. A result, that was achived in the mountains, the time trial however costed Dombrowski the podium. Because the French Ronde de l'Isard (2.2) also has many mountains, but no time trial, things went a lot better. Together with his team- and roommate George Bennett from New Zealand, Dombrowski was able to put his mark on the race. Dombrowski finished in third place at the legendary Tour de France stage finish Superbagnères and broke away at the side of the Russian Evgeny Shalunov on the third stage with rain, fog and difficult road conditions. Although the campaign for the overall win failed in the end, Dombrowski took the mountains classification and the price for the most aggressive rider. Furthermore, he had shown himself in strong condition for the first time in Europe. The eighth place in the Flèche du Sud (2.2) in Luxembourg summed up his strong European campaign.

 

After no good results at the U.S. Championshipa and getting to know Girona, its training routes and a liverish family father, Dombrowski tackled again for the national team in August. With the super heavy mountain race in Val d'Aosta, there was a race on the agenda, that required pure mountain skills from the riders. In a word, Joe was totally motivated. At the American team it was planed to use this race as preparation for the Tour de l'Avenir in September. But since the form is so good, you can tend to ignore your orders from your team manager. Obviously impressed by the race, the amount of elevation gain and the crazy Russians, Dombrowski found his way into the tour better and better and was able to finally win the fifth stage to Torgnon, after some good results in the other stages. A difficult stage with three climbs in the end. Together with Elissonde, Aru and Lavieu, the American attacked on the final climb and was able to distance the at that time overall leader Novikov. Dombrowski then attacked again in frustration over the lack of cooperation. He won this stage and jumped to third place in the general classification. In the final mountain time trial Dombrowski added another third place and moved on to second place overall. Not bad for a race that was supposed to serve as a preparation. Also not very surprising, that the Tour de l'Avenir did not really went well for Dombrowksi. Fatigue, defects and awkward racing situations, made the most important race of the year in the Under 23 class quite unsuccessful for Dombrowksi and the U.S. team. As the best Americans, he lost almost half an hour to the winner.

 

Nevertheless, the self-proclaimed morning person has two more years left to become the second American after Greg LeMond to win this this race. For the 2012 season the climber will stay with the team Trek - Livestrong and certainly will continue in doing races for the national team. This guarantees him starts in all major U23 races, and perfect conditions to improve his abilities, especially on the mountains and he can continue to eradicate weaknesses as his time trial. In particular, the Giro della Valle d'Aosta Ciclistico has shown that Joseph Dombrowski is a rough diamond, a rider who is able to convince without much knowledge of routes and able to adapt to the toughest conditions.

 

Nominated by ocana, written by ocana, translated by ocana