Terms from the race radio

(by Giana Roberge, PROMAN/Paradigm, Team Speed Queen)

Many up-close pictures of professional cyclists show them with a radio cord traveling from behind their neck to an earpiece tucked neatly away, usually behind a piece of tape. These radios allow the riders to talk to their teammates in the race as well as their directors driving the car in the caravan behind the peloton. The radios provide information as well as direction from the person driving the car. Below is a list of some of the terms used and what they mean from the director and rider’s perspective.

Attack: When told to attack, riders on the team (who are usually selected at the prerace meeting) look for an opportunity to try to escape from the pack with as few other riders as possible. They do this by sprinting hard away from the group at a time when they might get the biggest gap possible or when it will take enough effort for someone to chase them down that there is a hesitation allowing for a gap to open.

This can also be a warning that there is an attack, and it is usually given with the side that the attack is coming on and, if there is enough time, who or what team it’s coming from.

Bridge: This means that a rider needs to get from the group he or she is in to the group or rider that is up the road. When a rider “bridges” a gap, they typically do it solo or with only one or two other riders. They use an “attack” to bridge the gap. By doing this, the team ensures they have someone in the break, which can either negate the break, or help to keep it away. When someone bridges to the break, he or she has left his or her team behind but has a better chance of winning the stage. However, if a team has a rider in the overall race lead, and the break they are in gains enough time to threaten their team’s overall lead, they may be asked to “sit on” (see below) or to “situp” out of the break and let the main field catch them to assist in the chase.

Cover: Typically used in a prerace plan: “We are going to cover important breaks.” This means that when a split does occur and a break forms, or an attack happens that creates a break, the team needs to have presence there.

Bring Back: This means that the team, working together, needs to bring the attack or group up the road back by riding at the front at a pace that is faster than the break up the road. This is to protect the team’s marquis or protected rider. When the team is bringing back a break, they are doing it in such a manner that their protected rider and most of the field is sitting behind the “train” of riders at the front. Typically, this is done only when the team has a rider in the lead or when they are riding for the race to come down to a field sprint.

Counter Attack: Something that happens when one attack is brought back. It is an effective tool for creating a break, or within an already established break, getting rid of one of the threatening riders.

Chase: Used to “bring back” a break. This is a methodical use of energy, usually timed to precision so that the break is brought back at the perfect time, either to set up for a final field sprint, or when the team can best contain any counter attacks that happen when the break is finally brought back to the main field. Sometimes, a chase can happen almost throughout the race with the team riding “tempo” at the front (see below), with the director keeping close tabs on the time split and notifying the team of exactly the time difference, and the distance to the finish, so that mathematically, the team knows how much energy to invest in the chase. Typically, when a team chases it means there is someone of threat in the break. If there is a break that is no big threat but they want to keep it in a certain time range, the team will ride tempo (see below) at the front of the race. By doing this, they may sacrifice a stage win, but maintain the overall lead of the race.

Tempo: This refers to the speed at which a team rides at the front. When the team has a rider in the yellow leader’s jersey, there are times that the best way to protect the lead is to have the team ride at the front fast enough that it deters any attacks. If there are attacks and a break does form, the team maintains its organized pace line at the front and just picks up the speed enough to bring back the break. The team in the lead will ride tempo until they are close enough to the finish line that they know their lead of the race will not be threatened if an attack does go away and stays clear until the finish.

Sit on: Once in a break, a rider may sit on. This means they will pedal at the back of the break and not assist in the pace making. This is done to either negate the break, or to help slow it down by not assisting in the pace making or a rider will do this in order to rest so that later he or she can have a better chance at winning the stage or attacking the break. If the rider’s team is chasing behind, the rider in the break will never work the break and will sit on. Typically, if a rider has covered a break and the rider’s team has the overall lead of the race, race etiquette dictates that the other riders in the break do not expect the rider whose team has the lead to work the break.

Work the Break: Opposite of sitting on the break, if a rider is working the break, he or she is assisting in the pace making. This also means that his or her team is not working in the peloton behind, and is getting a chance to recover. If the team approves of the break, they will be very attentive in the pack behind the break to make sure no one else bridges to the group in front, or if they do they bring another of the team members with them.

Other information that comes across on the radios is if someone has flatted or had a mechanical, if there has been a crash, when feeding is allowed, where the intermediate sprints are, who is in the break and where they are in the overall rankings and what is for lunch back in the caravan car.

June Podcast and More

Don't forget to check out the new June Podcast over at our website and while you're there you can also listen to racer interviews from the KDOG Morning Show in Mankato, site of our Queen Stage.

The June podcast takes you inside the Nature Valley Grand Prix peloton with Jeff Corbett, former team director. Find out if there's a connection between the Nature Valley Grand Prix and the Giro d'Italia - in our trivia segment much more from Super Rookie and Company.

Coming back to the NVGP

by Jeff Corbett
[Former Team Director, Health Net Pro Cycling Team]

Yeah, I’ve been to a few bike races in my days. How many? Probably well over 1000 in the last twenty years. But I’ve never been asked to write about why a certain event appeals to me, until now. As you can imagine after attending so many races I have found some that I enjoy and some that I would rather not remember. The Nature Valley Grand Prix is special to me. It is one of only a handful of races I can honestly say I will truly miss now that I am retired from racing and directing.

Why Nature Valley? What makes it so special? Well I would be lying if I didn’t admit that some of my affection for the event comes from my success there. You always tend to enjoy the events that your team does well at. And my teams have given me plenty to smile about having won the event overall in 2005 and 2006, as well as winning 12 of the last 26 stages over a five year run. But it isn’t the victories that keep me coming back every year; it’s the magical combination of good people, good courses, good competition, great fans, and relaxed atmosphere that mark any exceptional event.

When I say good people, I’m speaking of those involved with putting on and sponsoring the event. First on that list has to be Nature Valley and Great River Energy, without whom, I wouldn’t even be writing this right now. These companies have embraced the event not because it brings them a huge media impact or a ideal marketing platform for new products, but rather because they know that it’s events like this that make a place come alive. They know that these types of events help people build pride in their hometowns and enjoy it as more than a place to rest their heads or send their kids to school. These are important things, they’re the things that break the pattern of work and sleep that we all fall into. Much like concerts in the park or company softball, events like the Nature Valley Grand Prix help bring interesting and exciting activities to Minnesota cities both large and small. Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you all this… as a person who makes his living off cycling I should be saying that cycling is a marketing bargain and a great way to market your product and service and people love cycling. Well, all those are true but it doesn’t change the fact that most people who come out and watch a bike race in this country can’t name a single pro cyclist. So why do they come out?

Well I’ll tell you. They come for the entertainment. They come for the show. And the show is more than just the pro race, it’s all the ancillary events attached to a race. It’s the expo and the kids race, it’s the bands and the food, it’s the chance to yell and cheer for something even if you don’t understand it. The folks that sponsor the Nature Valley Grand Prix know this, and so do the folks who put on the event. That’s why they are a success.

There are many other ingredients that make the Nature Valley Grand Prix a success and I’ll be speaking about all of them in the months leading up to the 2008 edition. Stop back to read more about what makes this event a success and to hear some of my favorite tales from my years at the event. I may even be giving out a few tips on how to win the event and who to watch in this year’s edition.

[picture courtesy Pezcyclingnews]

Does Proman have what it takes to win?

(By Giana Roberge)

As the 2008 preseason begins and thoughts turn toward racing, it is time to evaluate the Proman recipe for success. What makes a cycling team or any partnership successful? Everyone knows that cycling is about teamwork, but what is the essence of teamwork? Why does one partnership win when another blessed with the same quality equipment, talent, and financial support not see the same successes?

Teamwork is the combined effort of the group to achieve a common goal. Key components to the formula are that the common goal is agreed upon by every person in the collective, and that each person in the team works, to the fullest of their ability, to achieve the goal. If there is one person within the group who has any hesitation about the goal, and does not fully commit to the achievement of that goal, the team will not succeed. There will be distrust within the group should one member hold anything back for herself. All people must believe that the common goal of the team is going to benefit each individual as well, and be willing to sacrifice her own personal goals for the betterment of the group as a whole.

In this day of individualism and the destruction of the nuclear family, it is a rare thing to find a group of people all in agreement on working toward a common goal that does not have the individual front and center. Even the amazing Discovery Team had Lance front and center; every athlete knows that Lance would not have had the palmares he did were it not for the hard work, dedication and sacrifice from his Discovery Teammates.

When the group coalesces it is magic and the magic is contagious. Once the group believes in the formula, they can overcome almost any challenge. I have been blessed to work with two teams that have woven this magic. The first was the 2001 – 2003 Saturn Team. We used to say, “It does not matter who wins the race, as long as it is a Saturn Jersey on the Podium.” With this as our mantra we won the World Cup Series twice and were the Number One ranked UCI Team for two consecutive years. The second team is the Proman Squad. The mutual respect and teamwork begins at the top with Niki and me working side by side to ensure that our teammates have what they need to achieve the goals of the team. We work to balance personal goals with those of the group and in return ask each teammate to set aside her own goals when asked in order to form a cohesive, winning team unit.

A good team and a great team are separated by fractions of an inch at the finish line. Riders on a great team will fight until they are empty to ensure a team victory, whereas an athlete on a good team will keep something in reserve for herself just in case she finds herself in a place to capitalize on an opportunity leading to personal success. It is difficult to teach personal sacrifice for the betterment of the team; those who ride it, live it in their daily lives and treat all of humanity as part of their community with respect, love and trust. When asked to sacrifice for the team, they are willing to do so, trusting that their work will benefit the unit and in doing so, ensure the continuation of the team and therefore benefit them and their sport.

The teamwork formula is delicate. Tread upon by disrespect, dishonesty, or selfishness, it us uprooted, shattered in dismay and can rarely be rebuilt. I have been witness to this many times. Big years, like Olympic years, pose real threats to teamwork. Although an individual qualifies to represent her country at the Olympics it requires a team to get her there. Lean sponsorship years also wreak havoc with a cohesive team unit. When there is less to go around, the typical response is one of individual greed, and in doing so the individual shorts her teammates, thereby denying the necessary ingredients for the team’s success.

Teamwork requires each individual to come to the group with trust in the mission, love for their sport and an understanding of what is required of them as members of the team. The 2008 Proman squad will be tested in the year to come, but I am confident that the team that Niki and I have assembled from our sponsors, to our athletes, to our partners has what is required to face the challenges head on and finish at the top of life’s podium.

From the Director's Seat

I had the honor of directing the Saturn Women and assisting the Saturn Men to wins at the 2003 Nature Valley Grand Prix. As a director, you are privvy to an inside look at the mechanics of a race - from the volunteer organization, to the sponsorship side, to the official's handling of the actual race, to the promotion of the race to the media, to the host housing, etc. Many riders do not realize the tremendous amount of work that a crew of several hundred people put into the NVGP.

The army of volunteers, officials, media required to ensure the continuance of this event in such mainstream cities has been so successful, in my observation, due to two reasons. The first is the leadership that David LaPorte provides to his staff and support he provides to the teams. The second is the hard work of all the staff; their love of the sport and appreciation for having the some of the top athletes in the world compete in their backyard.

David and I got to know each other when I received a phone call from him asking for ideas on how to draw more women to his race. Way back when (2000, 2001, 2002) NVGP and the HP Women's Challenge (back then one of the top women's Tours on the UCI calendar) overlapped. David tried to entice women with prize money - but that did nothing to peak the teams' interest.

After much brainstorming, David and I created a laundry list of ideas to draw the women's teams. Many still exist today (The Yoplait Women's Summit, for instance). David's hard work and dedication to the women's teams has paid off nicely. NVGP is one of the highest regarded races on the women's calendar, and to win a stage or be in the top ten on GC, or a jersey winner, is a very high honor on a woman's palmares. NVGP is what I would consider the crown jewell in the Women's Prestige Series, and rightly so. It tests all types of athletic abilities, and requires not only all around talent, but a strong tactical plan, and a dedicated team.

But I digress. The year that I mention in the preface to this blog submission the Saturn Team had the honor of being on the top of the podium in both the men's and the women's race. Both races were spectacular. In the men's race the Saturn Team passed the jersey from Viktor Rapinski to Trent Klasna as Trent handily won the final stage. It was Katie Mactier taking home the honor of NVGP champion with an outstanding ride in both the Time Trial and Saturday's road race.

However, the race that year was an exhausting one. We began the race by putting the riders on a plane in Philadelphia, PA, then the staff breaking every speed limit out there to get all the vehicles necessary to MN. The race began that year up in the Iron Mountain Range - a far bit from St. Paul. Although beautiful and challenging, the amount of transfers wore on everyone - staff, riders, officials, and race crew. When David asked me what changes I would like to see, like many teams' staff members, I said "Please, not so much driving - hard on riders, harder on staff."

And like a great leader, David concured, and the following year the race was far more manageable, yet retained its challenging courses and state-wide fan base. And that is only one of the reasons why the Nature Valley Grand Prix will always be one of America's top events: a race director who listens and adapts to the teams' needs instills trust with the teams, and support within the competitive cycling community. David can count on the best athletes of the country duking it out at the NVGP, and can sell that to sponsors and the media. This in turn brings more awareness to the sport, and more positive support of our sport. This becomes an upward spiral, benefiting all involved.

In 2008 I will return to Nature Valley, with the Proman Women's Team in tow. I am excited to return to a race I have such fond memories of and to see how it has grown. I feel like I knew the NVGP when it was just a small child and now it has matured into a young adult. MN - here we come!