which do you admire the most? want to be on the most? have the best programs? are the most valuable? and so forth. i’m talking about teams like Wattie Ink, Team Timex, QT2, Big Sexy, AP Racing, Base Nutrition, Everyman Jack, etc.
i KNOW i’m mixing apples and oranges. i know that some of these teams are focused around the TEAM itself, some are built around the COACH or a coaching enterprise, some are built around a consumer BRAND, some are built around a pro ATHLETE. still, if we’re talking teams with at least 50 people, which are the best, and why? and what do you know about them? how many apply? how many are chosen? what are the benefits? etc.
I can only speak for Big Sexy Racing. We have a team built around Chris Macdonald. You’ll find he’s a hell of an athlete but more than that he loves the sport and is a family man, he definitely preaches and expects us to act as a “family”. He will constantly interact with athletes on the Facebook page and I can say he responds to personal messages as well. They offer coaching services, steep discounts on the sponsors products. We have several KONA athletes that offer advice as well. There are a lot of resources on the team.
Being an individualized sport I never understood the “team” aspect until BSR. No matter where you go in the states and even certain other countries, if there’s a team member there you’re sure to have a place to stay and someone to show you around. I made great friendships in the tri world through them.
I think roughly 1500 apply and around 200 get selected. What’s kind of nice is that the team is selected more on personality than strictly on performances so I haven’t seen any “stick up their ass” triathletes on it.
which do you admire the most? want to be on the most? have the best programs? are the most valuable? and so forth. i’m talking about teams like Wattie Ink, Team Timex, QT2, Big Sexy, AP Racing, Base Nutrition, Everyman Jack, etc.
i KNOW i’m mixing apples and oranges. i know that some of these teams are focused around the TEAM itself, some are built around the COACH or a coaching enterprise, some are built around a consumer BRAND, some are built around a pro ATHLETE. still, if we’re talking teams with at least 50 people, which are the best, and why? and what do you know about them? how many apply? how many are chosen? what are the benefits? etc.
My vote is my club team: MidTN Multisport based in Middle Tennessee. We’re like a family and I’ve improved so much since joining them. We’re also pretty good.
I vote fore Everyman Jack. They are based locally for me (SF Bay Area) and have a strong presence at local races - running and tri.
My experience with every athlete wearing a team EMJ kit has been positive. No jerks, good results.
My vote is for Team EMJ!
Kevin echos my thoughts and experiences. Unlike Kevin, I’m an old (57) MOP guy, and every time I have interacted with a EMJ, they come off more interested in me, how my training and racing is going, than in pushing themselves. There race is almost an afterthought, or something I have to pull out of them.
Nationally our Team Zoot has about 200 memebers. Besides Zoot, team members recieve support from sponsors such as Garmon, SpeedFil, BOOM Nutrition, Ceepo, and L3 Endurance coaching.
I have to selfishly give a nod to my own team: EGO pb Sammy’s Bikes.
We are Illinois based - though a few of us are now Colorado residents. Small team, 3 guys, 3 girls, but have very accomplished results.
We are unique in that we also have a road/crit cycling squad on the same team and supported by the same sponsors.
EGO Power PlusSammy’s Bikes, St. Charles
It sort of hard to compare these teams though as you mentioned. Timex and EMJ are small and performance based. Wattie and Team Zoot are larger and based on supporting clothing lines and are open to all abilities.
I vote RIDE Tri Team. I like it because it’s a good mix of everything you listed… team, giving back to the community, pros/coaches (Michellie Jones and Matty Reed), a brand (official name is Ride Tri Team powered by Wattie Ink) and is a national team (although it’s based in California). Last season it was sponsored by Felt, Pioneer, Knight Wheels, blueseventy and many others. Members received hefty discounts from the sponsors, weekly workouts, monthly socials and an annual training camp.
The team is open to all levels but that being said, it has some real amateur talent. (For example, the female who won Superfrog 70.3 is on this team)
While you didn’t mention it, you did mention the competition (QT2 & BSR), but Endurance Nation is a coaching/ training team for the self-coached athlete that has a core group that is a family. There is a huge presence at every US IM & many 70.3s. There are team organized camps, member organized camps and various groups that plan their training camps, IMs and races with other team members as a group-racecation.
Not to mention that it looks like we are going to roll into the 4peat on the IM Club competition. If interested in more, PM me.
My vote is for Everyman Jack as well. I train with these guys regularly and swim/run with them every Sunday The team is tight knit, super supportive of one another and you would be shocked at how much they do as a team to give back to the tri community. They are also some of the most stand up guys I know outside of tri.
Blackline in London. A great bunch of guys and girls. Always friendly, and you can have a good craic with them, no matter where you are in the world. Pretty good racers also.
There’s about 20-30 of them, more a bunch of mates than a team.
My vote is for Everyman Jack as well. I train with these guys regularly and swim/run with them every Sunday The team is tight knit, super supportive of one another and you would be shocked at how much they do as a team to give back to the tri community. They are also some of the most stand up guys I know outside of tri.
Well, this begs the question…what is the question? Otherwise this will just devolve into “who is best” without knowing what “best” means. Plenty of people can make an observation like this one but is that what you are looking for, Dan?
and of course Kevin, Justin and I see Team EMJ partially because we are in the SF area. I have little to no clue about some of the other teams mentioned. So my view of what team is best, is biased. So maybe it should be what makes a great team? A trait of EMJ is being super competitive, but then being great ambassadors (regular guys?) for EMJ and the sport as well. I know another local team that I see out on rides, and they are super snobbish, will rarely if ever wave or say high, and we expect that and just shrug. They aren’t even that fast So they are not my view of a ‘best team’
A proper amateur club. They have a coach but I’m not sure of affiliation (but it’s not just his clients in the club). they really are a club and have several levels. Elite to social. Lotsa very good athletes in there, and also lotsa really cool people. They seem to perform very well on the national stage too.
To answer the second question. If I was on a team I would like be on EMJ since I see them at races and they seem fast, have a great KONA presence and appear to be a strong team together. We have a Tri club here but nobody is really competitive but one guy that I sometimes train with. Being on a team would motivate me since I would be comparing notes and workouts, setting up races to meet up with other team members and having a competitive but FUN environment. I don’t really see other teams with as big of a presence with so many competitive athletes.
So they are not my view of a ‘best team’