Here We Go!
Here we go,
First of all I wanted to tell everyone in New Zealand that my thoughts are with you in these hard times. I am thankful that our New Zealand riders and family are well and safe.
I am really looking forward to the new season, starting this week with the first official Trek-Livestrong training camp. It will be the first time the whole team will be together. Our Australians and New Zealanders are finally coming over and meeting the sponsors and rest of the team. We will have a really serious and dedicated training camp in Solvang, California. Our sponsors will come and join us for a day or two and present their products and do some riding with us.
It is quite entertaining to see the eyes of those young pros receiving their new kit, bike, glasses, helmet, etc. For most of the riders it is their first real pro-level team and I have to say they are going to be spoiled. When Lance Armstrong asked me to start this team I wanted to create a team I would have dreamed to be part of. Using all my passion and experience I have accumulated over 14 years of professional racing I’ve been able to give my new riders just that.
We have already been successful this year with Michael Vink’s New Zealand under 23 national title and his 2nd place in the time trial. Also, Joe Lewis placed 3rd in the Australian under 23 road race championship.
I will take the opportunity at camp to join the squad on some training rides and get to know them on a more personal level. It is important for me to know and understand what strengths and weaknesses they might have. With most of our riders moving up to the big leagues last year I decided to rebuild the team with younger riders.
We have a lot of great talent and I have to make sure it’s guided in the right direction toward pro-level cycling. Most of the time when I approach a new rider I end up being the one interviewed, but by the parents. As a father of two girls I totally understand the concerns and feel honored when they put their trust in me. We have 14 riders on our roster, with three New Zealanders and two Australians making up our international presence.
My goal with this blog will be to keep everyone updated on the riders’ progress throughout the year. There will be ups and downs . After camp our first race will be the Redlands Classic in California and I will be blogging from there next time.
On a personal note, I am glad to say that Granfondo Axel Merckx is coming along really well. Registration is going great and we are almost sold out of the “Classe Special” category. I am going to bike shops in early March in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Seattle with some cool products and deals from our partners. I invite you all to find out all the details on our Website at www.granfondoaxelmerckx.com.
And like they say in Texas, from where I wrote this blog, I hope y’all have a great day.
Axel Merckx
