Team CSC riders with their enthusiastic supporters from the Life Cycling Academy.
“We will stick together and fight. Always. And that is why we win.” – Bjarne Riis
During December 2006 the entire Team CSC organization, consisting of about 30 riders and 40 staff members, gathered in South Africa ahead of the 2007 season. For nearly two weeks, the Team trained, met with guests of CSC and took care of internal business such as being fit for team clothing and settling the racing calendar for each rider. All of this, however, took place after their now much-imitated “survival camp.”
“We go out into the wilderness and prepare these challenges for the Team because I can’t stress them on a bike and I need to put them under stress to see who they really are. Maybe I could stress the staff on a bike, but for the whole group, the only way to see how they’ll act when plans don’t work or things go wrong – and we know they will – is to create a situation like we do with the camp. Then, once I see how they act, I know what to do,” Team CSC’s owner and manager, Bjarne Riis, explained.
And stress them he did. For three days, the Team traveled through South Africa’s rough and varied terrain, mostly by foot, experiencing one challenge after another. “The sun, during the day, is so high and intense you can’t see your shadow. And you know that there are animals out there, including deadly snakes. We have no food with us and very little water. It is in these conditions that we work to form our team,” said BS Christiansen, a former Danish Special Forces soldier who advises the team and is the mastermind behind the survival camp activities.
During the course of the camp, smaller teams are formed to compete in challenges that range from the straight forward, like kayaking around obstacles as quickly as possible, to the far more serious. At the more serious end of the spectrum was the quest for dinner. As no food was carried in, the only meal available to the group on the first day was that which they could capture and kill themselves. This portion of the competition ended in a draw when Bjarne Riis stepped in and shot a Springbok that, after being quickly butchered, was divided amongst 70+ people to make a modest meal at the end of a very long day.
“These camps show us that we can adapt to any situation and excel. On the first day we were all paranoid, looking around for snakes, but by the second day, no one cared, we were all so tired we just lay down on the ground and slept,” said veteran rider Bobby Julich.
Asked to describe this year’s survival camp, Dave Zabriskie summed it up. “It was hot,” he said. Judging by the sunburns, cracked lips and peeling noses on display the day after they returned to their home base in the wine country outside of Cape Town, it was hot. Team CSC visit Khayelitsha CSC in South Africa was proud to host the entire Team CSC organization for its first trip to the country. Cycling is the fastest growing sport in the country in terms of both spectators and participation. In fact, South Africa is one of only a handful of nations that broadcast the Tour de France live and in its entirety.
The true power and popularity of cycling in South Africa was brought home to a lucky group of Team CSC riders and representatives from CSC on a visit to the community of Khayelitsha and the Life Cycling Academy (www.lifeacademy.co.za). The LCA was founded in 2003 as a means to help young people from previously disadvantaged communities enjoy equal opportunity in the sport of cycling, whether on a recreational or competitive basis. Over 1300 children have been touched by LDCA programs this year alone, from the youngsters in the Safe Cycling program all the way to the Elite level U23 team that competed for the first time in 2006 on the professional South African circuit.
Bjarne Riis and LDCA CEO and founder Glyn Broomberg met late last year at which time Bjarne promised to bring the Team to visit the Academy should they ever come to South Africa. When Team CSC riders and guests visited the Academy’s club house and rode through the streets of Khayelitsha, that promise was fulfilled and the seeds of a larger collaboration were planted. No one at the event was left untouched by the enthusiastic young cyclists who greeted Team CSC like rock stars.
“Just riding through these streets with them for 15 minutes, I could see that they were happy. Happy to be on the bike and happy to have this sport. For me, this was very special,” commented team leader Carlos Sastre.
“Having Team CSC here in South Africa and especially at this visit to the Academy has been an inspirational experience and done wonderful things for cycling in South Africa,” said Martin Vergunst, managing director of CSC’s operations in South Africa. “The Academy riders have already accomplished so much in three short years, this chance to interact with the number one team in the world can only make them stronger.” 2007 Team CSC The final official activity on the team’s South African calendar was the Team Introduction hosted by CSC. Traditional African drumming and marimbas ushered in the 2007 squad that Bjarne Riis calls his strongest team yet. In addition to returning stars like Sastre, Zabriskie, Julich, Jens Voigt and Frank Schleck, five new riders were introduced including sprinting star J.J. Haedo.
After a short break for the holidays, Team CSC will dive headlong into the 2007 season. Key events early in the year include the Tour Down Under in Australia and the Tour of California, a race in which the team took second and third place and won the team competition in 2006.
If the spirit, dedication and preparation on display in South Africa are any indication of what’s to come, 2007 is going to be great year for Team CSC. December 2006
