America is just like the movies. It's crazy how it's just like you see on TV. This is my first time here and when we first got to Elk Grove it was everything we've seen on tv for years. Garage bands blasting music, people coming out on their lawns to have bbq's (not braai's like we call it), they drink beer and cheer you on. The atmosphere is just unbelievable. They've all got perfectly manicured
homes. Utah is completely the opposite. It's just desolate, red rock, really beautiful area. It's like the Karoo in South Africa only much bigger and spectacular. It's just amazing and really beautiful, pretty much like a postcard.
I was really happy to get some TV time on stage 2 and get into the breakaway. After the first KOM, Michael Hepburn and I flew down the descent and got a gap. I won't call him a fatty but he's not a climber, just like me. The bunch knew we weren't a threat and they let us go, knowing they would catch us later. Eventually I went off on my own on the last climb and at the end of the day got given the jersey as the most aggressive rider. Did I look happy on the podium? Because I was.