Team Columbia-HTC had a brilliant year in 2009, their team of 36 professional athletes with 18 nationalities clocked up an amazing 132 wins from 22 different riders and are now ranked as the number one pro cycling team in the world by Eurosport. Twenty eight members of the men’s team have arrived at Club La Santa in Lanzarote for their 2010 pre-season team building and training session.
We went over to Club La Santa to meet up with the team at the start of their training. They were anxiously awaiting the arrival of their cycles which were loaded into the Columbia-HTC lorry and just clearing customs. The group explained that it is their commitment to working together with the whole entourage of doctors, trainers, cooks, mechanics and race directors that has led to their success. They are focused on working hard over the next week before making their way to Oz for the first race of the season on the 10th January 2010.
The Columbia-HTC team are very proud, they have a great camaraderie and they can’t sit still for too long, if the bikes aren’t ready they want to be off to play football or volleyball at Club La Santa before splitting into groups and heading out to explore the island of Lanzarote for the first time. Today there is blue sky, at least 25 degrees of sunshine and almost no wind – a perfect day to enjoy the roads of Lanzarote.
We took the opportunity to talk to Mark Cavendish and Mick Rogers before they headed out into the sun for their first training session.
Mark Cavendish
Only the week before Club La Santa had Jenson Button on site for his pre season training and here was Mark Cavendish – you may be wondering what the connection is? They are both in the top 10 shortlist for BBC sports personality of the year due to be decided on Sunday 13th December! Earlier this month Mark was announced as Procycling’s rider of the year for 2009. Mark hails from the Isle of Man and he has won 24 races in 2009 including 6 stage wins at the Tour de France. Although he loves to win he is very much a team player. Mark believes that he is part of the best team in the world and its that which puts him in a position to win. When he’s sprinting for the finish line there’s no time for emotion, he’s just focused on the line and the action.
Mick (Michael) Rogers
Mick’s from Canberra, Australia and says that racing is in his DNA, he took time out to explain to us the importance of great team work, to any bystander a professional cycling race could just look like a free for all but actually there is a whole crew working in the background to enable them to win a race. For some members their role will be to sacrifice their bike or shelter another member from the wind so that the whole team benefits from a win. Mick’s biggest kick out of racing is that moment that you know you are going to win until the second that you cross the line. He has worked with some good teams with unlimited budgets but believes that the Team Columbia-HTC is second to none, every member, not just the cyclists but the support from the race director and whole backroom team is committed and that is the reason that they have been so successful.
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