"What really sticks out is that I didn't know I had the current best time when I crossed the line," Bookwalter said. "I had just got done with this hugely anaerobic, totally-depleting effort and all I could think about was continuing to ride a cool down or catch my breath." He then sat in the “hot seat” for nearly an hour before Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky broke his time to take the victory.
In his previous two years with BMC, Bookwalter had never ridden a Grand Tour, but in 2010 he took on two of them. After his startling success in the Giro opener, he went to to support captain Cadel Evans, who finished fifth overall but won the red points jersey.
His first Grand Tour was not easy, he admitted. "My goal at the Giro was just to get off on the right foot in my first stage in a Grand Tour," Bookwalter said. "I was nervous and hopeful, but I knew it was going to take every last ounce of everything I had to get through each day and hopefully make it to the end of the race."
Having conquered one three-week race, Bookwalter was ready to tackle another one. His next race was the Tour de France, where he finished 11th in the prologue. Later in the season, he had another podium placing, when he finished third in the Tour of Utah prologue.
He has been busy in the offseason, having ridden the Iceman Cometh Challenge, a mountain bike race in Michigan. This weekend he will participate in the Miami Dolphins Cycling Challenge, a charity ride.
The American is also begin to train his thoughts on the 2011 season. "I've been mixing riding with some weight lifting and core workouts," Bookwalter said from his off-season home in Athens, Ga. "Our first training camp is just around the corner.”
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