01 March 2013

Recommended Reading: Joe Dombrowski

Read: Cycling's Road Forward - Can Joe Dombrowski ride out of Lance Armstrong's shadow? By Rick Maese in The Washington Post

"...With dark-framed glasses and unassuming presence, Dombrowski looks more like a computer analyst than a world-class athlete. It wasn’t long ago that he was simply riding his bike on weekends along Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park. As he kept getting faster, opportunities opened up, prompting him to leave his home near Warrenton, abandon his studies at George Mason University and uproot his life."

Joe Dombrowski of Team Sky (read his team rider profile)

In the past two to three years I have intentionally snapped as many photos as I could of three particular athletes because I thought, I will want these later when they are big. Well big came soon for Tejay Van Garderen, Peter Sagan and Joe Dombrowski.

Joe Dombrowski in Aspen 2012 ©Photo by Karen at PedalDancer.com
Joe said "sure" when I asked him if I could take his photo, he paused calmly ©Photo by Karen at PedalDancer.com
Joe Dombrowski   ©Photo by Karen at PedalDancer.com
Christian, Tom, George, and Joe doing alright at the startline in Aspen ©Photo by Karen at PedalDancer.com
Winner of the best young rider at the 2012 USA Pro Challenge   ©Photo by Karen of PedalDancer.com

And from the 2012 Tour of California
Joe Dombrowski (Bontrager-Livestrong)   ©Photo by Willie Reichenstein for PedalDancer.com
Joe Dombrowski climbing at the 2012 ATOC    ©Photo by Willie Reichenstein for PedalDancer.com
Col de la Madone, France

In this recommended reading article, Joe Dombrowski now lives and trains in Nice, France, and frequently rides Col de la Madonne. I have never ridden this climb so I refer to others who have.
Pez Cycling ride report: Top Rides: The Col De La Madone! With lots of great pictures of riding in the area near Nice, France. 
Cycling Challenge: Col de Braus and Col de la Madone
Climb by Bike page: Col de la Madone climb
 
Profile of the Col de la Madone climb. Red = lung-busting muscle-ripping steep.
Location of Col de la Madone in France. A long way to ride for a nice view of the sea.
“When you watch the Tour de France on TV, is it just because it’s entertainment? Or is it the beauty, seeing these guys suffering and struggling up mountains over the course of three weeks? There’s a beauty in pure human performance, isn’t there?” he said. “I think that’s what’s so great about cycling." ~ Joe Dombrowski

For sure there will be more of Joe Dombrowski to come ...

Related Posts: Image of the Day: Joe Dombrowski and The Sky was blue (with the team in Belgium 2012)