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Team TIAA-CREF - 2005
Team Journal Entry - February 23, 2005, by Stuart Gillespie
The future of cycling
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At the Team TIAA-CREF presentation, Phil Liggett introduced Team TIAA-CREF as the future of cycling. I do not doubt this statement. There is a lot of talent on the team. My goal is to help my fellow teammates achieve their dreams and reach the next level of competition.
We currently do and always will share this title of the 'future of cycling.' For one, we share this title with the next generation of cyclists. They are starting to get into the sport. Some are juniors, more are just young kids with an itch to race, and the vast majority do not even know that they are going to be cyclists.
Just as I hope to help my teammates, I would also like to help these future generations. Maybe I am getting old! I think it goes deeper than that though. A lot of debate already revolves around how we want to treat future generations: social security, global warming, the composition of the Supreme Court, the budget deficit. And so, it only makes sense to start thinking and talking about the future of cycling today.
Current juniors represent a very small portion of the next generation of cyclists. The majority of future riders presently know little about cycling. Somehow, we need to draw this enormous crowd into the sport. We need to turn this crowd of youngsters into a crowd of young cycling fans.
A lot of my motivation comes from the encouragement of fans. I think that the same holds true for all cyclists, indeed all athletes. Professional athletes depend upon their fans. In turn, fans live through their favorite athletes. The health and future of the sport depend not only on the athletes, but also on the fans.
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I imagine schools of kids supporting cycling. Just imagine a classroom of students following a professional team around the world. They could choose to study the geography of each region where there is a big race. Or, they might prefer to learn about nutrition and eating a balanced diet. Maybe instead of nutrition, they might want to learn about the physiology and psychology of the human body. Regardless of what they choose to learn, they would learn it through the lens of cycling. This is the beauty of the dream.
Every rider knows that the world makes sense from the seat of a bike. So, why not try to teach kids about the world from the seat of a bike? The more kids that learn about cycling; the better. After all, I would like to have someone to root for when I am no longer racing.
Thank you very much for your support. Together, we are the 'future of cycling.'
Stu
