DS Blog: The Annual Dilemma of Selecting Riders

Over at Podium Cafe you can read the latest of the blogs from the team DS in which he focuses on the dilemma of selecting Riders.

Go check it out

Podium Cafe Blog from the DS

OK, sounds like doom and gloom, and perhaps it is. Sports sponsorship is dominated by 2 thin; Men & TV Coverage. When you compare that to the world of women’s cycling, there’s an obvious problem. More importantly to us is that women’s participation number seem to be outgrowing the men….but investment in women’s racing hasn’t taken off at all.

I’ve been involved in women’s cycling for 7 years now and it’s not the easiest of environments. To get a long term agreement with a sponsor isn’t easy and to catch ‘the big one’ is virtually impossible. This makes keeping riders motivated to stay in the sport harder every year. It would be easy to just give up; I’ve considered it many times (Many, Many Many times). But perhaps it’s by staying involved that will create the stability needed for a few riders to actually fulfill their dreams. That is the motivating factor for sure.

Running the Team….over at the Cafe

The DS has updated the teams regular slot at the podium cafe with a catch up of what happens towards the end of the road season.  Worth a read…..

Interview with Team DS on Podium Cafe

An interview has been published on podium Cafe with team Director Sportif Stefan Wyman.  If you have seen the site before, it’s a great place to find an individual view on the world of cycling, and they are huge supporters of women’s cycling.

The Interview will give you a tiny glimpse at the the world of women’s racing, the team and the mind of the DS.

21 Corners from the top

Today I decided it would be a good idea to ride Alp d’Huez. I can’t quite put my finger on why I thought it would be good, but it did actually happen. Alp d’Huez is the most famous climb in cycling. Anyone involved with the sport knows something about it, and it’s always the stage everyone wants to watch when the Tour is on TV.

Bend 21 sign on alpe d'huez

I’ve ridden (Well more of a grovel) it a lot of time over the years, and this year I set myself the personal goal of beating 1 hour 15 minutes. Although there is no reason behind me wanting to do the climb, there is a very good reason for this target time. It’s double the record time taken by Marco Pantani (37m 35s in 1997). Now that is very very quick for roughly 14km of solid climbing. I think being about double his weight, I’m due twice the time to complete the climb.

Keeping up in the hills….or not

This time of year, we normally hit the hills for some pre-cyclocross season training.  This year we are in the French Alps for 2 weeks.  We’ve done the research on the altitude, the area we’re in, and have set training that we think will have a great effect on the riders.   However that doesn’t mean it will be good for me.

A Future Coffee Stop

Every morning, setting off from 1700m altitude is great.  The only way is down and I go downhill fast.  It’s at around the final corner that depression is knocking at the door, as it is far too clear that the only way home is up.  It is getting easier each day, but that doesn’t really mean it is actually easy. 

Post Tour Criteriums – About to Start

It’s that time of year again, when Belgium and Holland goes Criterium crazy.   Following the Tour de France, there are a series of criteriums across Europe that allow cycling fans to get up close to their cycling Hero’s.   Although the men’s race is larley a show, at many events there is a very competetive women’s event.

National Criterium Champion Dani King - Katya Johnston

The Horizon Fitness team will be at at least 5 of these events this season, starting with Herentals on Thursday.   Cancellara heads the start list in the mens event and he’ll be racing in front 10,000 plus spectators, who all pay to watch the race.  The races are run late at night to allow the atmosphere to build, and enough beer to be sold.

So if you’re out in Belgium, come and have a watch and cheer on the Horizon Fitness riders.  It’s always a great night out and the racing is entertaining.   For a good idea of what to expect in the men’s race, you could check out the Cycling News guide to the crits.

Tour de Limousin – Stage 4

The final day and we had all of our riders on the start.  What an achievement for Penny and Britt.  Britt has been out of the sport since the end of her junior year with Glandular Fever.  2 years away and on a reduced program this year, she’s managed to fight through.  She was also the ‘Lanterne Rouge’, something that we were kind of proud of.

Tour Limousin team 2010

Penny was one of the youngest in the race.  Still a junior and therefore on restricted gears, she’d managed to spin her way to the final day at a cadence of around 140.  All of the girls started the last day ready for some tough racing and knew what was coming having seen the course from the car.

Tour de Limousin – Stage 3

With the TT out of the way, it was back to the rolling terrain of the Limosin region as the riders took on a tough 110km road stage.  It’s about this time of a tour where the peloton starts to get a little more dangerous as tired legs start to affect riders.   This was going to be a hard stage as the GC was very close and there were time bonuses along the way.

Team get ready for stage 3

Without race radio’s, there is little chance to influence the race from the Team Car.  This is a big debate in the sport at the moment and I now have some very different opinions on this that I did a few months ago.   Time will tell, and the debate will roll on.  When splits occur in the peloton, it takes a while for people to ensure they’re not chasing their team mates down, and can lead to real yo-yo action in the bunch.

Tour de Limousin – Stage 2

Stage 2 was an individual Time Trial.  17km’s of mixed terrain was in front of the riders with the favorites expected to average around 40kmph.  The first half of the course was flat (ish), and then you hit the hillier sections.   With a strong wind making it even harder, it really was going to be another tough day for most riders.

3 seconds to go for sarah

We had 5 riders setting off in the first half and hour.  It’s not possible to follow all of the riders with a team car in this situation; we chose to follow Sarah Storey.  While we were happy to follow a World Champion TT rider, it did leave our other riders without service on the course.