After watching coverage of the TdF and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, it made me wonder if pro triathlon teams like K-swiss and TYR offer the level of services to their athletes as Team Garmin-Cervelo or RadioShack? The pro cycling teams have chefs/dietitians, mechanics, medical staff, physical therapists and soigneurs. Does K-Swiss/TYR offer these services to their athletes? Hearing about Chrissie’s injuries leading up to the race, Tim O’Donnell’s flu bug; etc. it makes me wonder if these athletes are on their own or if some things could be avoided/minimized if they had the support that pro cyclists receive.
Or are members of pro triathlon teams just part of a “team” in name only because they use the same saddle/bike/trisuit?
The issue with cycling is that it is a team event contested by teams against other teams in support of a team leader. Triathlon remains an individual sport for the most part (except ITU, Olympic).
Also, as a matter of practicality triathlon “teams” tend to be a group of athletes sharing a common sponsorship banner but travelling to different events. This may be in the sponsors’ best interest since it maximizes the number of athletes and events they reach. Big cycling teams tend to rely more on media coverage of a major event.
Trek/K-Swiss and Specialized Racing come closer to cycling level support than anything ever before, but neither one comes close to the off-the-course support. Both offer unbelievable support at the races, but everyone is so scattered, there’s no way for them to offer the off-course support of a pro cycling team.
Cycling is a team sport; triathlon is not. So, fundamentally, the “team” dynamics are going to be very different.
Even at an event like Kona? Sees like the team sponsor would want their respective athletes to perform to their best abilities by taking care of a lot of the off-the-course logistics…such as a team house, team meals, team medic, team mechanic on training rides; team massage therapist, etc. That way the athlete, even participating as an individual, performs the best for the sponsor.
Trek/K-Swiss and Specialized Racing come closer to cycling level support than anything ever before, but neither one comes close to the off-the-course support. Both offer unbelievable support at the races, but everyone is so scattered, there’s no way for them to offer the off-course support of a pro cycling team.
Cycling is a team sport; triathlon is not. So, fundamentally, the “team” dynamics are going to be very different.
See above…same with us we try to provide as much support as possible to our guys at our team events. But realistically our guys are living many states apart, and we come together at races. We’re also talking about cycling teams having 7-figure budgets, IF I had that kind of money then our guys might have that kind of support
It depends what you’re classing as a ‘pro triathlon team’ You’re limiting it by using just trade ‘Pro Teams’
If you’d seen the amount of support staff National Federations are accumulating these days as a result of Olympic funding - you’d see they’re coming pretty close to pro cycling teams.
There are lots of “teams” in this sport that are little more than athletes sharing a common sponsor. KS/Trek, Specialized, etc. may get their athletes together for an occasional product demo/training camp; but athletes mostly have their own coaches, race their own schedules (other than the occasion sponsor-mandated race), and train separately.
As Steve mentioned, national programs get pretty close (ex. athletes residing at the OTC like Charbot); on the private side Team TBB is probably the most similar to a pro cycling team. Going way back there was Team J-David in the '80s which was the first shot at a cycling-style super team.
Even at an event like Kona? Sees like the team sponsor would want their respective athletes to perform to their best abilities by taking care of a lot of the off-the-course logistics…such as a team house, team meals, team medic, team mechanic on training rides; team massage therapist, etc. That way the athlete, even participating as an individual, performs the best for the sponsor.
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yeah, but each athlete is on his/her own set of dietary needs, usually with a family in tow, things like that. that being said, putting them up in a house together isn’t something they probably have any interest in doing. pro cycling teams are typically separated from families and touring (so that’s why they call it “Le Tour”, eh?) so they can get away with the team aspect you mention.
and especially at kona, they don’t want to do that. those trek k-swiss athletes love their sponsors, but you can see it in their interviews throughout the week leading up to the event that they’d rather be sitting in an air conditioned hotel room watching bad tv. it is part of their job to do the promo stuff, but the timing really couldn’t be worse for them. you don’t see media attention to that extent in and around large cycling events for individual riders.
that being said, i don’t think these tri teams, commerzbank included, are even close to the level of pro cycling teams.
Even at an event like Kona? Sees like the team sponsor would want their respective athletes to perform to their best abilities by taking care of a lot of the off-the-course logistics…such as a team house, team meals, team medic, team mechanic on training rides; team massage therapist, etc. That way the athlete, even participating as an individual, performs the best for the sponsor.
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Specialized’s support in Kona was above and beyond. Team mechanics were there; overall “support” was on hand if you needed it. Accommodation was provided, and was based on what athletes wanted - some athletes wanted their own places with a kitchen, for example. But again, you don’t want to change things too much for athletes before a big race. I.e., I - personally - wouldn’t want a massage therapist I’d never worked with before. And I know that’s true of a lot of athletes. Same with meals. I know what I like to eat; and I want to have that freedom. But I do know that any of the Specialized athletes who needed “something” would have had a huge support staff there to make it happen, which is amazing. The team has only been around for two years, so I think we are all still figuring out how best to take advantage of it, and they are still figuring it what is best to provide for all of us.
I don’t know what Trek/K-Swiss provided, but I think it was similar. The Trek/K-Swiss team is super pro as well.
