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Getting motivated in Red Rock CountryVolvo-Cannondale Cycling Team Training CampBy Paula de Haen
The 2002 pre-season has seen an influx of numerous pro cyclists and pro cycling teams into the state of Arizona for training and orientation camps. In early March it was the turn of the Volvo-Cannondale Cycling Team to call the red rock country of Sedona home for a week for their annual spring training camp. Sedona, with miles of awesome single-track and stunning scenery, made a great backdrop for the team’s photo shoot and an idyllic spot for the riders to refocus and motivate for the season ahead. Since its creation in 1994, the Volvo-Cannondale team has captured two Olympic medals, nine World Championships, 14 World Cup titles, 14 National Championships, 78 World Cup wins, and 31 NORBA event wins and three Solo 24-Hour victories. Volvo-Cannondale is widely considered to be the most dominant team in mountain bike history.
For 2002, Volvo-Cannondale has decreased in size from nine to seven riders, but the team’s capacity to win events has never been stronger according new team manager Eric Wallace, 33. He feels that having a smaller group allows them to be more focused and give each rider plenty of attention. Returning to the team are cross country riders Christoph Sauser, Kashi Lueches and Tinker Juarez. Dual and downhill specialists Anne-Caroline Chausson and Cedric Gracia will also be returning. The trials program continues with Lance Trappe and sole newcomer, Frenchman Thibaut Marrioux. The team is currently ranked the number one mountain bike team in the world, a position they don’t plan to relinquish anytime soon. “First and number one priority is maintaining world championship status,” confirmed Wallace. “We’ve got the athletes to do it, so we are going to make sure those athletes have everything they need to retain the rainbow stripes, winning the World Cup and World Championships.” In his first season as team manager, Wallace is cognisant of the fact that he has some pretty big shoes to fill. “I attribute most of the teams continued success to Charlie Livermore, former team manager,” stated Wallace. “He knew how to choose riders, with the help of Benoit Knave, the teams osteopath in France. Those two picked riders like Christoph, like Kashi, like Cadel Evans, they created the team and the dominance. Historically, the team has more World Cup wins and more World Championships than any other team, and Charlie Livermore was the man. He knew exactly what he was doing, he was very good at motivating the athletes, and I just hope I can live up to his regime.” The departure of Cadel Evans to the world of road racing on the Mapei team leaves Kashi and Christoph leading the cross county charge for the VC team. “Christoph is currently ranked number five in world UCI points and is the Swiss National Champion. He was third at the Sydney Olympics and third at the Vail world championships last year. He is poised to win the overall world cup, as well as the world championships this year,” said Wallace.
Rounding out the cross country team is the enduring Tinker Juarez. Juarez, 41, is now in his 16th year racing as a pro, and 9th year with the VC team. He is excited about his role in the team’s commitment to grass roots racing, namely racing in endurance events such as the recent 24 hours of the Old Pueblo in Tucson, where he completed 17, 17 mile laps to win the solo men’s category. “I love it! Juarez enthused. I’ve found a new sport in endurance racing, it’s really starting to grow, it’s kind of like when mountain biking started. It’s a new event for me, even though I have a lot of experience.” Having a solid team organization supporting their riders as they reach for increasingly harder goals is key according to Juarez. “You need to have good support to back you up, remarked Juarez. You can’t do anything without being on a team that is going to help you accomplish your goals. If it wasn’t for Volvo-Cannondale sponsoring me every year, I probably wouldn’t still be cycling.
Cedric Gracia also relies on his team-mates for support and advice. He and 11-time World Champion Ann-Caroline often compare notes on what worked well and what didn’t on their runs down gnarly mountain courses. “Oh yes, Ann talks about the line she took and I talk about what I think” commented Gracia. “I look at her riding, because she really is the best. But sometimes she is still like, “I don’t know, I was too slow, I could have done better,” yet she still wins. And I’m like ‘come on, it doesn’t matter! You were bad on that one turn, so what!’ She puts too much pressure on herself. And when she doesn’t win, I think its because she puts too much pressure on herself.”
Gracia is very confident of his ability to win the world championships this year. “Yes, last year I was second,” said Gracia. “I was expecting to be riding in the rain, so I had a piece of tire on my seat, because I didn’t want to slide on the seat, but then it didn’t rain and I forgot to put it away. And I was stuck, all through the downhill I was stuck to the seat, and I was riding, but I was thinking about this all the time and I wasn’t focused on the race, and I was thinking, I’m not even going to the top 15, it was terrible. I was so mad and when I got to the bottom, I just pedaled so hard that I made up time and finished second! The next day I crashed and I couldn’t get back up, and I lost about 45 seconds, but I took back 15 seconds just by pedaling, and I had a heavy bike. So this year, if I have a clean run, I know I can win.” Gracia was very enthusiastic about the time spent in Sedona, as were all the riders. Wallace said that after arriving on Monday, they were all overwhelmed, just blown away by the scenery, the blue skies, the sunshine. Scott Montgomery, VP of Marketing for Cannondale, lives in Sedona and offered it up as a possibility for the camp this year, a suggestion quickly snapped up by a delighted Wallace.
“As soon as I heard Sedona I was jumping up and down saying ‘yes, yes, I love Sedona!’ The riding is phenomenal, there are great restaurants, coffee shops, bike shops, the trails are unbelievable and the scenery is perfect. Last years camp in Alpine, CA was cold and rainy, and this is just the opposite. We will do the camp here as long as we possibly can!” So as the spring training season comes to a close and the racing season begins, the team headed off to Sea Otter, where Ann-Caroline once again annihilated the competition, winning all her events, and Cedric collected a first in dual slalom and a third in the downhill. Even with some cold, rainy and windy Monterey weather, the whole team and staff seemed charged and refreshed, enjoying the weekend’s racing and clearly looking forward to the year ahead. |
The Volvo/Cannondale MTB Team
2001 Team Highlights Two World Championship Titles (Anne-Caroline Chausson) Staff Tom Schuler – General Manager Riders David ‘Tinker’ Juarez (USA) Born: March 4, 1961 2001 highlights Kashi Leuchs (NZl) Born: June 30, 1978 2001 highlights Christoph Sauser (Swi) Born: April 13, 1976 2001 highlights Anne-Caroline Chausson (Fra) Born: October 8, 1977 2001 highlights Cedric Gracia (Fra) Born: March 23, 1978 2001 highlights Lance Trappe (USA) Born: May 10, 1977 Thibaut Marrioux (Fra) Discipline: Trials |
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