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Tales from the Peloton
Schroeder in the house
By Rob Karman
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The abundant spread of food is quickly shrinking as the hands of many hungry young men fill their plates and settle into their chairs. Another ride is finished at the Schroeder Iron pre season training camp and the kitchen at the Schroeder house is once again the center of activity. All week long Linda Schroeder has worked hard to keep the fridge and the pantry stocked for the dozen odd athletes who have been riding up and down the San Gabriel mountains of southern California and flying around the famous Rose Bowl in Pasedena at speeds over 50 mph.
It is obvious the Schroeders have not just lent the name of their company to the team, they are involved in every way including Frank Schroeder's roles as both business manager and Directeur Sportif. While it may seem like an odd combination for a man without a long competitive cycling background, Schroeder takes a level headed approach to his role. "I think common sense is common sense. It applies to cycling and it applies to life. It applies to any type of situation you're put into. So you apply common sense. I listen to people, I watch the races, I see what's going on. I think about it and make decisions based on that. All these people [the riders] are professionals, they know what to do."
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Such confidence and respect for his riders is one reason why the atmosphere in the team is very friendly and casual. Kind of like a big family. Which is good since they are all crammed into one house for the week save for the Meza brothers who live nearby. And much like a family there is sibling rivalry, though more of the joking kind that comes from competitive athletes. Today there is bragging over who was the fastest to get changed and to the kitchen for lunch after the ride.
For a second year pro team, Schroeder Iron has big ambitions. They have signed USPRO Champion Chann McRae. Yeah, the same Chann McRae that used to ride for Mapei and USPS, got 5th at the World Championships, and a slew of other top results. But McRae is hungry for victory, and he won't settle for any spot on the podium but the top. Click here for the full interview with Chann.
Another big signing for Schroeder is Mexican sprinter Miguel Meza who has spent the past three years as a pro in Italy for Colpack. With a top ten stage finish in the Giro this past year it looked like he was poised to really break through and start garnering the palmares that many expected of him. But after looking around at the situation on the Continent and letting his sentimental side get the better of him, Meza decided to return to Southern California where he grew up, marry his girlfriend and settle down. Click here for the full interview with Miguel.
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To back up the experience of these two, Schroeder Iron is filled out by a full squad of powerhouse domestiques who are ready to lay it all down. They have been training like mad all winter in order to be ready for the increased responsibility of putting the teams two stars in perfect position to go for the win. The training shows as support rider Aaron Olson pulled off an overall victory at the Valley of the Sun this past weekend and the team had enough steam to square off against Saturn to deliver the elder Meza to the line for the final stage victory.
Returning to the team from last year's roster are Peter Knudsen, whose 2002 season highlights included a third place at the Univest Grand Prix; ex-pro surfer and mountain-biker Jason Bausch; track superstar Mike Tillman, the current and three years running 4000m National Pursuit Champion; and Canadian Jacob Erker, who brings international experience and climbing power to the team.
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Joining the roster this season, in addition to the two North American Champions, are Aaron Olsen - formerly of iTeamnova.com; 2000 USPRO Road Race KOM Champion Adam Livingston; Dane Jankowiak, who rides for the US national team; and Rigoberto Meza who, at 18 years old, shows the outstanding potential to double the Meza name in the spotlight.
Team boss Frank Schroeder is excited about the way the team is shaping up: "If you had told me three months ago that we'd put together a program this powerful, I'd have laughed in your face," says Schroeder, "I am beyond excited about the coming season. We have great climbers, solid GC contenders, excellent domestiques and the fastest of sprinters. I expect to see a lot of success this season." New team leader Chann McRae agrees: "Frank Schroeder has put together a high quality group of riders, and I think we'll be able to be aggressive and deliver a lot of horsepower to future victories. It's going to be fun out there!"
Like most US teams, the Schroeder squad has Philly week in June listed in bold on the team calendar, but unlike any other team this year, Schroeder has the responsibility of trying to defend the stars and stripes jersey that Chann already wears proudly.
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But the start to this year's season is already leaps and bounds ahead of where the squad was at this time last year. This is best summed up by Frank Schroeder's thoughts at the conclusion of camp. "It's ten times better than last year because we didn't even have a camp last year. We just kinda threw these guys into racing [last year.] If you put them into pressure first, it's hard to bring them together. They need to become friends and they need to trust each other before you put them out there racing. So doing that this year I think everybody really gets along really well. And I think that everybody understands their place on the team and there is some good chemistry. Really good chemistry. From that standpoint I think the camp was a total success even though we had a lot of issues to bring everybody together. You bring 10, 11, 12, 13 humans together, everybody's got things that are happening, you know. Once we did get everyone together the team really gelled well."
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"Everyone on the team is really positive," says Schroeder, "and that's an important part of a recipe for success. Signing Chann was only the tip of the iceberg - we have some great riders. I'm really proud of what we have put together and confident that we will give Litespeed and all of our other great sponsors something to be proud of."
Many comparisons come to mind when thinking of the 2003 Schroeder Iron Team. First thing that popped into my head upon arriving at camp was that it was held at the team director's house, much like Mercury camps of the past at John Wordin's place. But the comparison that fits more closely is to that of Prime Alliance in 2002. Both teams were formed late in their inaugural years yet accomplished more than expected, and both teams entered their second years with big talent added to their rosters and big expectations to go along. Prime Alliance came out of that season ranked as the number 1 team in the US National Racing Calendar with the number one and two riders. Could Schroeder Iron be headed down the same path?
Riders
- Jason Bausch
- Ronny Chalk
- Jacob Erker
- Dane Jankowiak
- Peter Knudsen
- Adam Livingston
- Chris Lucas
- Chann McRae
- Miguel Meza
- Rigoberto Meza
- Aaron Olson
- Evan Teske
- Mike Tillman
Staff
- Greg Bourque, Medical Advisor/Trainer
- Dan Plummer , Team Mechanic
- Frank Schroeder, Director Sportif/ Manager
- Linda Schroeder, Operations
- Chris Wentz, Team Mechanic and Assistant
- Jaime Nichols, Media Coordinator
Sponsors
- Litespeed - bikes
- Reynolds - forks and wheels
- Speedplay - pedals
- Rudy Project - glasses and helmets
- Profile Design - bar, stem, seatpost, aero and accessories
- Voler - clothing
- fi'zi:k - saddles
- Diadora - shoes
- Tacx - bottle cage
- Saris - racks
- Maxxis - tires
- Sock Guy - socks
- CycleOps - stationary trainers
- 24 Fitness - Gym
- G-Push - nutritionals
- GoJus - nutritionals
- www.hi-techbikes.com - official retailer
Photos
Images by Rob Karman/roadbikephotos.com
- Just a small gap to the main bunch
- And the gap grows some more
- The Iron train at full speed
- The riders kick back with some coffee
- Chann McRae takes the lead
- Miguel Meza and Mike Tillman
- Everybody lean to the right
- Everyone is happy when they win
