January and early February mean its pro team camp time. Every year I attend
five to seven of the pro team camps, it's a great time to catch up with the
riders and lay some foundation for the season ahead. This year, I stopped in
to see a number of teams such as the BMC, Health Net-Maxxis, High Road Sports
with trips to several others like CSC still upcoming.
The Health Net-Maxxis Professional Cycling Team camp is always fun. These guys
can ride bikes evidenced by their fourth straight NRC team crown in 2007 as
well as the individual NRC crown with Australian rider Rory Sutherland. The
team is a mix of cagey veterans like recently crowned National Cyclocross
Champion, Tim Johnson, and Kirk Obee, hard-as-nails Australians such as
Sutherland and Karl Menzies (he'll tell you he's actually Tasmanian), up-and-
comers like Frank Pipp and Phil Zaijeck and young guns like Matt Crane and John
Murphy.
The program for the media/sponsor day was to ride with the team from our
hotel in downtown Solvang and preview the 15-mile course for the upcoming
Stage 5 time trial in the Tour of California. We rolled out at a talking
pace, the idea of the ride was to get to know everybody and not to break too
big of a sweat. That's fine with me. Bonding on the bike is always a great
experience. There are times when it is best to hold back the endorphins and
just enjoy the ride.
When we finished our loop it was clear that the team was up for some more miles
and at a little bit more uptempo pace. So, I tagged along with the boys for a
rendezvous with Figueroa Mountain. Along the way we passed Michael Jackson's
Neverland Ranch and as we hit the base of the 3200' climb, I remembered what
Clint Eastwood said at the end of Magnum Force, "a man's got to know his
limitations." I said farewell to the team and headed back home. Later, I
found that I had chosen wisely as noted climbing specialist Matt Cooke lit the
afterburners on the ascent, turning a fun group ride into an all-out sufferfest.
At this time of the year, my idea of suffering is watching Simon on American
Idol. But, if the Health Net-Maxxis squad is going to win their fifth
consecutive NRC title, they need to lay down some serious smack this early in
the season. Judging by their fitness and attitude, this is going to be a good
year.
Bruce
Active Expert: Bruce Hildenbrand
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