I Wondered Where He Was

One of the up and coming stars of professional cycling, in my opinion, hails from a town not far from me in southern Connecticut. The town is East Lyme and the rider is Tom Danielson. My husband and I have been following the career of this gentleman for a few years now and were excited to see his excellent results in the Vuelta a Espana last fall. Unfortunately, Mr. Danielson dropped out of several competitions this season, owing to what was reported as “intestinal difficulties.” He missed the Tour of California completely and exited the Dauphiné Libéré before the climbing stages began. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. A lot of riders experience that sort of thing at some point in their career. I sighed with disappointment and looked forward to seeing the Team Discovery Channel favorite in the Tour de France come July.

Well, July is here, the Tour de France is underway, and Tom Danielson is not on the team. “What happened?” I wondered. This morning, my local newspaper, The Day, supplied the answer to my question. Apparently, Mr. Danielson has been fighting a parasitic infection that he picked up while traveling in Malaysia or China a few years ago. He is on the road to recovery, though, according to the article:

“Everything is finally going well,” Danielson said. “I’ve been able to get back on my bike. I was really sick for a month and unable to ride at all. I was so sick I couldn’t even pedal my bike. I got some treatment when I got here [from Spain] and got well within four or five days.”

He’s far from normal, though. The medication, which Danielson compares to Draino, damaged his stomach and intestinal linings. With proper diet, he’s making progress. More tests will be needed to make sure the parasite is gone.

Mr. Danielson will continue to rest until early August when he will compete in the Tour of Germany, followed by a trip to the Vuelta a Espana in September. In the meantime, he has another responsibility: taking care of his mountain-bike racer wife, Kristin, while she recovers from a broken leg. May they both be in good health soon.