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Tales from the peloton, February 13, 2006
CSC rides in Solvang
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With mild temperatures (75 degrees F) and quiet Californian roads, Bjarne Riis' men of Team CSC headed out for another training camp in the picturesque surrounds of Solvang, CA recently. Dave Zabriskie instigated the trip to Solvang after riding with US Postal on their annual sojourn to the town, which is conducive to long, uninterrupted rides with some testing terrain.
Bobby Julich is another American rider who had trained in the Solvang area when he rode for the LA Sheriff's team in 1994 before transferring to Motorola, and by all accounts the 34-year-old was glad to be back in familiar territory ahead of what he hopes will be another fantastic season in 2006. Cyclingnews headed out as the team went on a brief two hour ride ride to shake any jet lag from their legs, joined by Directeur Sportif Bjarne Riis, who oversaw proceedings at the back of the bunch.
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With riders such as Lars Bak, Jacob Piil and new addition to the squad Stuart O'Grady all present, CSC certainly has a gun squad coming into another season where they'll be expected to do big things. The addition of O'Grady will bolster the team's chances in the classics, and the Australian is keen to perform well in this year's one-day races throughout spring. With a number one team ranking in last year's Pro Tour, Riis will be out to make sure his team is set to repeat that achievement in 2006; the multiple training camps are testament to that fact and his focus on teamwork means riders spend as much time together as possible before the big races begin.
Click here for the full team roster
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Steve Dascomb
- Some stealthy-looking Cervelos wait for the CSC boys to go a ridin'
- Australian rider Luke Roberts gets ready to ride in Solvang
- CSC's Cervelos, sans wheels are still pretty cool
- Bobby Julich gets booted up ahead of another ride - his first time training in Solvang since the '90s with the LA Sheriffs team
- Lars Bak mingles with the locals in a town settled by Danish immigrants
- Lars Bak in the Danish champ's jersey looks set to get in some more miles
- Christian Müller mingles with the crowd
- Kurt Asle Arvesen doesn't mind a bit of Solvang sun in February
- Dave Z has entered the building...well, kind of
- Nicki Sørensen ready to ride
- Marcus Ljungqvist is a picture of calm
- Michael Blaudzun all suited up and ready to go
- Dave Zabriskie and Bjarne Riis have a chat before riding in Solvang
- The big cheese from Bjarne Riis as he and Dave Zabriskie pose for fans
- Dave Zabriskie is set to head out for a ride
- Making sure everything is dialled before heading out on the roads around Solvang
- Ivan Basso looks pretty serious
- Stuart O'Grady makes sure his bike is dialled in before riding
- Jacob Piil waits for his bike to get some attention
- Dave Z and Ivan B lead the group
- Tow of CSC's Tour de France stars head the training ride
- Bjarne puts in the hard yards at the back of the bunch
- The CSC convoy drives along on quiet Solvang roads
- This is why teams choose Solvang to train
