Super Squadra

On MLK Day weekend, January 17-19th, the Super Squadra elite cycling team, sponsored by Bicycle Sport Shop, will host a cycling camp for Masters and Junior cyclists. To sign up for the camp please visit the online registration. The camp flyer and the team contact information are available through the links on the right hand side of this page. Below are five frequently asked questions about the camp. Each question is individually answered by a Super Squadra team member.

Question: Who is this camp geared toward?

David Wenger: As a junior who trashed a beautiful Schwinn Paramount during my first season of racing because I didn’t know how to take the initial corner of a criterium, I can personally attest to the benefits of a professionally run cycling camp. Riding is fun. Racing requires skill—and at 190 heartbeats per minute, a large amount of concentration.

We are offering the Super Squadra Scouting Camp for junior cyclists who envision themselves racing at the collegiate, Under-23, even professional levels of the sport, as well as Masters cyclists striving to achieve their personal best, whether that’s entering your first race, winning the local group ride, or wearing a national championship jersey. Of course, both male and female cyclists are welcomed.

Question: How will this camp benefit me as a road cyclist and racer?

Phil Wikoff: The participants of Super Squadra Scouting Camp will gain insight into every facet of road cycling and racing—from diet and nutrition to handling skills and team tactics. Saturday’s SAG (support and gear) ride on the quiet country roads outside of Austin, will give camp attendees the opportunity to converse casually with Super Squadra team members, special guest lecturers, and fellow camp members, while putting in essential winter base miles. The group will ride in a pro-style, two-by-two paceline with the safety and convenience of a follow vehicle. Distances varying from two to five hours will cater to cyclists of differing ability levels.

Sunday’s Masters and Monday’s Junior seminar sessions will offer camp participants a chance to learn from top national and international cyclists. Camp members can anticipate both informational lectures (like how to properly prepare for a key event) and entertaining stories (such as when proper preparation leads to a national championship).

During the closed course, afternoon skills session at the Driveway racetrack, camp attendees will put classroom knowledge to real world use. On a safe, yet dynamic course, riders will receive individual instruction on race skills such as proper bike handling, efficient pack riding, timing attacks, and sprinting form. Each and every camp participant will leave with the confidence to ride and race in any situation.

Question: Is the Super Squadra Scouting Camp a tryout for the team?

Ian Dille: The purpose of the Super Squadra Scouting Camp is to strengthen the cycling community as a whole—to help develop good cyclists into great cyclists. We are not immediately looking to add riders to our roster, nor are we looking to recruit racers from other teams. We look forward to familiarizing ourselves with camp participants, learning their strengths and weaknesses and offering them valuable feedback.

Question: What if I can’t attend all of the Super Squadra Scouting Camp activities?

Steven Wheeler: Super Squadra Scouting Camp participants may attend any portion of the camp. Of course, we highly encourage full participation. Each day will offer different opportunities for cyclists to improve their fitness, racing knowledge, and skill. Saturday’s SAG ride will accommodate both Masters and Junior Scouting Camp attendees. The seminar and skills portion of the camp will occur on Sunday for Masters cyclists and on Monday, a school holiday, for Juniors.

Question: What can junior cyclists learn from the Super Squadra Scouting Camp?

Alan Ting: The opportunity to race with teammates who have experience at the professional level of the sport helped me develop into a more well rounded rider. I realized that racing is about more than fitness and sheer athletic ability. It’s about teamwork, from properly executing a lead out train to helping chase down a break-a-way. I let go of my individual desire to win every race to put together a winning combination for the team.

With early season calendar space at a serious premium in 2009, it was with some reluctance we scheduled the Super Squadra Scouting Camp over MLK weekend (January 17-19). We chose this date for its proximity to the racing schedule, as we want the themes and skills from the camp fresh on everyone’s mind as they kick off the TXBRA season at the Heart of Alsatian Country Omnium only a few weeks later.

Of course, we’d like to spend the entire weekend with all of our camp participants. But if you are itching to get in that first road race of the year, guaranteed by Andy Hollinger to be ‘epic,’ and will miss our camp’s Saturday SAG ride, we still want to see you the next day (or Monday for the juniors). We are offering free entry to the Copperas Cove Classic with registration for the camp. For juniors this brings the camp price under $100 (or roughly the price of a pair of socks). Camp attendees need simply present their bib number (unlike USCF officials, we’re cool if it’s crumpled) and their entry will be reimbursed on the spot. No promises though that the CC Classic won’t be 35 degrees and raining…not that I don’t enjoy those conditions.

Last week I talked about my winter training ride to Lockhart for some good ole Texas BBQ. To continue my two part series on the best winter training rides, this week I’m going to talk about my ride that I had in Clear Lake, Texas.

Clear Lake is a suburb south of Houston and is the home of the Tilson Homes cycling team.  I was down in Clear Lake visiting my in-laws with my wife and wanted to get a good ride in when I was down there.  I had done a ride down there before and really loved the different style and scenery that the area has.  Coming from Austin, I’m used to doing the same routes and dealing with the same type of rides.  Being able to do something new was a great change and really had me excited about the ride.

I had called my Houston buddy, Tom Kubicek, before I got down there so we had planned on meeting up and getting around four hours in.  The ride left from the Bike Barn parking lot at 7:30 (obviously not an Austin ride) and we rolled out.  There was a good group of about 40+ riders braving the cold and everyone was socializing as we rolled past NASA and started heading out of town.  The pace was pretty steady and I was enjoying talking to some riders that I usually don’t get to see except at the races.  Eventually the pace picked up and I held on for dear life as a group of us rocketed towards the first re-grouping area.  Now, most rides have re-grouping areas at say a gas station or something else non-significant but this ride was different.

Can you say a ferry?  Yea, I was so stoked to see that on a training ride I was having to get off of my bike and actually ride a ferry across to the other side.  Thanks to Tom and the other Tilson Homes guys that told me the tricks of riding a ferry.

1.  You must walk your bike onto the ferry unless you want to get yelled at by the ferry man.

2.  Don’t stand near the front of the ferry.

3.  Don’t stand near the side of the ferry.

Both number two and three are for the same reason.  Get to close and you’ll end up getting splashed.  That might sound good in July but when its 45 degrees and windy you dont want to mess with getting wet.  After the ferry we continued looping back and forth and ended up going over the biggest hill in south Houston, the Fred Hartman Bridge.

This bridge spans over the same waterway that we had to use the ferry for just an hour earlier.  After another couple of fast sections, where I wished I was in better shape, we started heading back into town and rode through the town of Kemah .  Kemah was one of the many towns that was directly in the path of Hurricane Ike.  It was really sobering to see the destruction that Ike had left behind.  Houses were still uninhabitable and trees were still laying on their sides.  Even seeing the area three months after Ike you still had an eerie feeling realizing how devastating it was for so many families.

We rolled back in town right around the four hour mark and I said goodbye to my buddies from Houston.  I want to thank them for taking me on such a great ride and showing me so many cool things.  To make things even better when I got home my mother-in-law, Marlene, had made gyros and after eating two plates full, I retired to the 62 inch TV upstairs to watch Penn State beat down Michigan State to secure the Big 10 title.  Congrats Jan.