The South African, Daryl Impey, who rides for Lance Armstrong’s RadioShack team, will compete in the Tour Luxembourg from Wednesday (2 June).
Impey, a former South African u/23 time-trial champion, has targeted the prologue of the tour as the stage in which he wants to excel.
“After the prologue I will do my job for the more important guys such as Lance Armstrong and Andreas Klöden.
“I feel strong at the moment and I have set my goals for the month of August when I will race in the Tours of Poland and Hamburg, as well as the Eneco Tour.
“I really hope that I will get a start in the Vuelta Espana (Tour of Spain), but it is up to me to prove that I deserve a spot. Hopefully I will achieve the necessary results and get the nod to start my first grand tour.
“My season could definitely have gone better. It seems that, whenever my condition is right, something goes wrong. My crash in Catalunya forced me take a break which was the reason why I missed the classics, an important part of the season.”
Impey recalled his crash in Catalunya as follows: “We were coming down a very sketchy descent with a sharp left turn, with gravel on it, at the bottom of the downhill section. I was sixth and following the guys in front. For some reason my rear wheel slid on the gravel. I lost control, slid into a barrier and over the bridge into a river six meters below. I hit my head really hard, but my Giro helmet saved my life. I banged my knee quite badly on the concrete pillar."
Impey’s first race after his crash was in May in France’s Tour of Picardie. In a way he is satisfied with the way things played out for him during the three-day tour.
"I didn’t have high expectations as it was my first race in a couple of months. I had just come back from training back home and went there intending to do a good job for the team and I think I managed to do so. I did my bit, chasing down breaks and setting the pace in the bunch.”
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