Teamwork in racing is a fickle thing. Only one person can win, so the whole thing is a bit of a dichotomy. I've found that teams that work have a few common characteristics, and teams that REALLY work have a couple extra ones. So here goes:
1. Common goals. ie win the BAR, win a jersey... or to manage to show up with a full kit and a working bike. It's all relative.
2. Firepower. To fulfill said goals. Having a team of sprinters does no good (you'll all be sprinting each other for the line). Having a team of leadouts does no good (leading out someone else's team of sprinters?).
3. Knowledge and honesty. If your teammates don't know that a leadout means sacrificing your finish for the team, you're in trouble. If your teammates fulfill their domestique role by sucking wheel all race while you chase down everything that moves until you keel over, unable to breathe, much less curse at them, you're in trouble. If your teammates constantly lament that their gloves were too tight, they got behind the wrong wheel, their brakes felt funny, their chain dropped and/or they are still hungover from last night, you're in trouble. Although the hangover bit is probably honest. The rest is BS because they couldn't close gap, hold onto the wheel or close the race.
4. Communication. This doesn't mean yelling at teammates to cover everything while you, the non-designated, non-sprinter, sit in. It does include yelling at non-teammates to cover everything while you sit in. It does mean communicating when your individual goal (say, to win) doesn't agree with the team plan (say, you're supposed to do the leadout).
5. Support. Not just $$ - although that certainly helps. I mean when a teammate drops back to bring your sorry butt back to the field because you're so cheap that you're running old tires with a thousand patches and, surprise, landed a pinch-flat at poolesville. I mean when a teammate gives you his/her bike from the sidelines so you can finish the race after you cook a turn (that was awesome!!). I mean when I show up at the line, no waterbottles, unpinned with my saddle bag still on the bike and my teammates smile as they help me pull together. Yes, they will talk about me later, but right now they're supporting me. Volunteering your significant other to feed and otherwise entertain your team is uber support. Thanks, Robin.
6. Share in the good, share in the bad. When the team succeeds, party together. When things go poorly, you resolve the issue together. Usually without violence. Usually.
7. A common disdain for mediocre performances. Or, a common acceptance of mediocre performances. Hey, as long as you're on the same page.
"Extra" characteristics for "Extra" success:
1. Dedication. Every weekend, every race, every team ride ... you know the drill ... you're there come rain or shine. Because your teammates depend on you. And/or because you have no other life.
2. Friendship. You actually know the people you ride with. And like them anyway. Showing up at a race in the same kit and introducing yourself to "teammates" doesn't qualify.
3. Passing the 10-hr car ride test. This is a deal breaker. If you wind up dropping your teammate off in North Carolina (I'll be right back, I'm just going to run to the gas station for some coffee), that is a big, red flag. First off, you wouldn't be getting coffee from a gas station unless you were desperate. Second, North Carolina is only about 5 hours into the ride. You're racing solo by the time you get to GA for the Twilight Crit.
Its getting to be that time of year (Silly Season) where teammates are quietly jockeying for other options, spreading rumors about other teams, doctoring up their palmares (5th is 5th, right ? whether it was a 3/4 race or a 1-2-3 race. no one needs to know) and searching for the few people they have not yet pissed off that might still be open to welcoming them as a new teammate.
Admit it - some of you are running out of options. I suggest that you re-read the above to determine where you've gone wrong. Or become president of a team so they can't get rid of you. I'm not saying anything, I'm just sayin'.
1 comment:
Well rambled.
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