Larry Warbasse turns up to our interview with a black eye and four stitches in his lip. It's the second day of AG2R La Mondiale's first pre-season get-together in the French Alps, and the American is still feeling the effects of a cross-country skiing crash the previous day.
"It was pretty funny," he admits. "Although it's not so funny now that I'm going to look like this in the team photos. Ah, man."
The incident has become a topic of much amusement amongst his new companions, and evidently something of an ice-breaker for the American in this mostly French environment.
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"I think it was the ice that broke me," he quips.
Warbasse is in high spirits and has every reason to be. Despite falling on his face, he has landed on his feet at AG2R, back in the WorldTour and able to look to the future with optimism. The sinking despair and acute panic that accompanied news of the collapse of his old team, Aqua Blue, seem a distant memory. Or perhaps some of the current exuberance comes from having so recently stared unemployment in the face.
It's a situation that's sadly all-too-common in professional cycling. Warbasse's story has a happy ending, but it won't be the same for everyone. One of Warbasse's Aqua Blue teammates, Calvin Watson, has already decided to call time on his pro cycling career at the age of 25, and others still haven't found a ride for 2019.
AG2R and the Bardet factor
Blessing in disguise
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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/transfer-mechanics-larry-warbasse-to-ag2r-la-mondiale
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