Learning experience

I was asked to go and assist direct the Team RadioShack squad for The Amgen Tour of California. It was a good experience for me as a team director to see how one of the best teams in the world functions and how it is organized. What jumps in my mind first when I think back is not only the quality of staff they have on board but the quantity. With Trek-Livestrong, we usually go to the races with eight riders, two massage therapists and one mechanic — plus me, obviously.
In California, Team RadioShack had three massage therapists, three mechanics, one public-relations representative, one team doctor, two sports directors, plus a super-sized, first-class bus. Everything runs so smoothly, like a perfectly oiled machine. Everybody knows exactly their tasks and work for the day. It is not for nothing that the team was so successful for the whole race. With a double stage win and a first and second in the overall classification it was a great boost for everyone’s spirit and work ethic. Seeing former Trek-Livestrong rider Ben King riding hours and hours at the front of the peloton was a real treat for me and a realization of how lucky I am to have such talented riders now and how lucky I was to have them in seasons past.
It is quite amazing to see Chris Horner at almost 40 years old taking the win in such an impressive manner. First time I met Chris was in 1996 when we raced against each other in the Dupont tour, where he won a stage and Lance Armstrong won the overall. The main difference with Chris now and back then is 15 pounds and that he finally got rid of that ponytail. Other than that, he is still that nice easygoing California kid nothing seems to affect. It was a great experience for me as a director and I was welcomed very warmly by everybody.
I have a great amount of respect for “my staff” when I see that they take care of just as much work as the RadioShack crew among the three of them. The Tour of California was a great opportunity for me to catch up with a bunch of riders, managers and other staff members that I haven’t seen for four years.
Meanwhile, under the guidance of Dirk Demol, Trek-Livestrong boys George Bennett and Joe Dombrowski finished second and third respectively at the Ronde de L’Isard in France. It was another great performance by the boys.
I am off to Europe next week to catch up with the team for our last leg of the European experience. Fleche du Sud in Luxembourg will be a tough race but we are going into it with a great moral and a positive attitude. Until then, I will be cheering for the Vancouver Canucks in the hope of seeing them finally bring the Stanley Cup back where it belongs –Canada! Go Nucks Go.