Dombrowski looking for fresh start in 2015

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Joe Dombrowski (Sky) put in a good ride after coming back from an early season knee injury(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/CN)

Following two seasons with Team Sky that ended prematurely because of injury, Joe Dombrowski has signed a two-year deal with the new Cannondale team created by the merger with Jonathan Vaughters' Garmin-Sharp team.

Dombrowski, who won the Baby Giro in 2012 when he was just 20 years old, bounced back from the early season issues to play a key role in helping Bradley Wiggins win the Tour of California. He was 47th overall at the Tour de Suisse in June and finished 16th on the final stage, but a noticeable loss of power in his left leg and numbness in his foot led him to see a doctor who diagnosed a blood-flow problem. Surgery to correct the issue followed several weeks later, effectively ending Dombrowski's season.

Joe Dombrowski: There were a number of factors weighing in on the decision. There were a number of things that were appealing there. For one, being an American, an American team is obviously a nice place to be. It's certainly a bit more at home. Sky is obviously a British-based program, so it's not too far off, but in a European-based sport where we spend a lot of time overseas, there's something appealing about being on an American team.

JD: I would say yes, for the most part. The thing was, like with this year, I had a pretty late start. I basically got started at California. I was having some knee problems before the Tour of California, and really, at the time I wasn't really sure what was going on. But with that same leg it turns out I had the issue with my artery. I don't know if those two issues were connected or not, but all of those issues kind of kept me out of racing for the majority of the season. I kind of got going at California, then I went back to Europe and did Tour de Suisse. After Suisse we finally figured out what was wrong. I came back to the US and had the surgery, and then I was off the bike for a couple of months.

I guess I never got to really even get going in my second year. After my first year I was really looking forward to the second, just because I felt like I had settled into the new team and into racing at the top level. I was more comfortable living in Europe. I had my apartment set up. All those little things that ultimately kind of weave into the big picture. So I guess I was a little bit disappointed in how it all played out. But when it played out the way it did, there's also not much you can do about it. When you have that sort of injury, you have to get it fixed. It is what it is. You make the best of it, try and get it fixed and then move on.

JD: Yeah, definitely. The iliac artery issue dates back to the middle of my first season. We kind of knew something was wrong and that it was not really great for my performance. Sometimes I could still get it done, like at California and some of the other races where I had some decent rides. But now I'm back on the bike and everything seems to be OK. Working with the doctors and doing all the tests, everything looks like it's back to normal. It's definitely a good confidence boost that next year I can get a good, healthy, consistent season under my belt. Hopefully in a new team with both a fun environment and some good opportunities at my feet, I'd really like to take advantage of all that.

JD: We've talked a bit. I mean other guys are still racing, so it's still pretty early, but I know roughly what some of the training camp dates look like. I'll probably start at Tour de San Luis. That way I can probably stay in the US over the winter. The after San Luis I'll head over to Europe and start with something like Catalunya, maybe. It's all still very early. That's what they said kind of tentatively, but you never know, especially when it's only October.

JD: I'm coming from Sky, which, in terms of depth of GC talent, is arguably the best in the world in that regard. So I think it will be fine in terms of finding opportunities. I know they've got their guys at Garmin that have already been with the team. Then with the merger they're bringing in – well, I guess it's not for sure yet – but tentatively some of those guys from Cannondale, who are young and very talented, could be coming over. So there's a lot of good riders on the team and some of them have similar characteristics to myself, but I don't really see finding opportunities as being an issue. There are so many races, and ultimately you just have to take opportunities when they come. And they do come. So I'm not so concerned about that. I'm sure that will be fine.

JD: At this point it's everything I know. Of course, I came through the Trek-Livestrong program, but that's very different to racing at the WorldTour. So it's hard to say. I guess if you were to ask me a few months after being with Garmin I'd have a better idea. But there were definitely a lot of really nice people that I met and worked with there. Just on a personal level, I'll miss working with them.

In addition, Sky is really highly organized, and the support network for riders, whether it's coaching, nutrition or just the logistics of getting to and from races, it's really pretty impressive. I'd say it's probably the most well organized team in cycling. So maybe I'll miss that, but it's hard to say until I go to others teams and see what other teams are like. But I think the biggest thing would probably just be the personal relationships. I've made friends with a lot of people on the team, but luckily, cycling is a pretty small world. I'm sure I'll see them again.

JD: For one, it will be a good environment. I already know a lot of the guys on the team. I know Ben King. I know Alex Howes. I know Nate Brown. I know basically all the Americans on the team already, and I know any number of the staff. So being in a familiar environment is always nice. Being an American in a very European sport, you know we're often outside are normal environment or what we're used to, so I'm looking forward to that. I guess just the overall vibe that I've gotten from the team so far. It's a serious environment, but it's a fun environment too.

JD: Yeah. Yeah. You know it was kind of strange watching all the races on TV. I still like to watch as a fan, but it was also a little bit hard to watch, like during the Vuelta and all that. Because I couldn't ride basically for a couple of months, and just sitting on the couch watching everybody else race while you're at home watching on TV is a little tough. But it's all good fuel for the fire, I suppose.

Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Pat competed in his first bike race in 1985 at Flathead Lake. He studied English and journalism at the University of Oregon and has covered North American cycling extensively since 2009, as well as racing and teams in Europe and South America. Pat currently lives in the US outside of Portland, Oregon, with his imaginary dog Rusty.