Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 2, 1995 TAG: 9505020115
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Dennis was in such a hurry that he passed three riders - not bad for the fifth cyclist out of the box.
``Usually, I'm pretty laid-back, but today I was a bit toe-y at the start,'' said Dennis, describing his nervousness with an idiom from his native Australia.
Dennis' anxiety was understandable, given his experience last year in the first Roanoke Valley time trial, when he crashed into an orchard on Mount Chestnut Road and required surgery for a fractured left hip.
``I wouldn't say I was looking forward to it,'' Dennis said. ``I was a bit worried, quite honestly. We drove over it [Sunday] night and stopped for a while to look over the edge.''
Dennis, 23, has recovered from his operation, but he almost didn't get to Roanoke when the pack was cut after Stage 4.
``I was at the back all day [Sunday],'' he said. ``I just chased down [the pack] in the last five kilometers.''
Dennis wasn't particularly pleased with his showing Monday, although his clocking of 1 hour, 1 minute, 3.03 seconds ranked him first on the Australian team and 34th among 101 racers overall. He moved up to 40th overall after starting the day 65th.
``My seat came loose on the first climb,'' said Dennis, who was using a new bike. ``I thought it was going to fall off. It hampered me all day. I couldn't get any rhythm.''
Dennis was off the course by the time a light rain started to fall and said he was unaware of forecasts that called for heavier showers.
``I probably would have gotten a little bit dodgy,'' he said.
One handicap for Dennis in 1994 was his starting position. He was the first rider on the course and was clocked at 41 mph not long before his accident.
``I went hard on the climbs today,'' he said. ``but I took it really easy on the descents. It wasn't worth putting myself out again.''
Dennis had never ridden the last part of the course in practice or a race before Monday, but didn't second-guess himself.
``I'm in the same boat as a lot of the Europeans,'' Dennis said. ``They couldn't come here either.''
At the time of last year's crash, Dennis had completed the most difficult part of the course, ``except for one hairy right-hand corner,'' he said. It did wonders for his psyche Monday to be able to finish the stage without incident.
``We've got a sports psychologist who, at the last minute, had to come in as team manager,'' Dennis said. ``He was telling me before the race, `Push it in a couple of these corners and try to get over this [bad memory].'''
That's not to say Dennis didn't experience a few nervous moments as he neared the top of Mount Chestnut.
``Oh, yeah ... yeah,'' he said. ``I got to the top of that second climb and I said, `O-o-o-o-h! Got to be careful here.'''
by CNB