An interview with Dave Zabriskie

Dancing salsa with Dave

Talking with Dave Zabriskie is like learning how to dance with a new partner; it takes some time getting used to, but as you step from side to side, figuring out one's personality through their footsteps, you gradually get to find out a little more about them, and learn to like what you have in front of you. Cyclingnews' Anthony Tan attempts a little verbal salsa with him.

One would think the last thing on Dave Zabriskie's mind after finishing his first Giro d'Italia two Sundays ago was to ride his bike the very next day - but that's exactly what he did.

"Yeah... you look up and you see it's a really nice day and you really want to go riding, but you know the smart thing to do is to try and rest," he says from the home in Girona, Spain. "Your body is asking you to go for a ride, but really you should take a rest."

Now, this may seem like a case of someone who just loves to punish himself - and maybe he does - but it's also the reason why riders still ride on the rest day during a Grand Tour, and why riders have a little trouble stopping once it's all over.

Sean Yates, a very successful former pro, now Discovery Channel's team manager at the Giro, summed it up best: "You're hyped up for three weeks and then all of a sudden, it's over. It almost feels like you can go another three weeks."

It took the 26 year-old three days before rest finally came into the equation, but when his body did rest, Dave Z practically went into a coma. In fact, probably the only thing that got him out of bed was knowing his girlfriend Randi was about to arrive later that week. "I've been a little... out of it," he mumbles.

Click here for the full interview.