after reading the interview with Jenna Shoemaker (great read!) and her former training group i got to thinking and wondering about these pro training groups. I already knew about a few of these groups/teams some being team Kswiss, Team Specialized and Brett Suttons Team TBB and Checkmate Triathlon team but i was under the impression that Sutton’s team TBB and Team KSwiss were great but isolated team concepts.
What if Triathlon could grow pro teams similar to Pro tour cycling teams?? is that just a rad concept or is it actually going on in a major way that i’m ignorant of??
Im thinking about teams more on the ITU level though. so though this Darren Smith character has a “high-powered squad” of girls training under him why do they remain a “squad” rather than a full on, big-time sponsored, huge results, big media coverage TEAM??
The problem is that triathlon isn’t a team sport. How many marathon “teams” are there?
However, I’ve always liked the idea of a “team” triathlon in which teams of three take off in staggered waves and are allowed to draft and help each other through the race (but cannot accept outside assistance and can’t draft off of other teams). I always thought that would be kind of neat.
I think one big advantage to pro teams is organizing for sponsor leverage. Once you put a few good athletes together that can draw media attention (esp. when you have athletes that are racing from ITU to IM) you can draw more sponsors through more media exposure. One athlete can only race so much, get 8 athletes racing and you will have someone racing almost every weekend and reaching a greater audience.
The problem is that triathlon isn’t a team sport. How many marathon “teams” are there?
However, I’ve always liked the idea of a “team” triathlon in which teams of three take off in staggered waves and are allowed to draft and help each other through the race (but cannot accept outside assistance and can’t draft off of other teams). I always thought that would be kind of neat.There are a number of elite running teams. Oregon Training Center, McMillan Elite, Brooks-Hansens, etc. etc.
Forsooth, thou foul cretin! Begone with thine “facts”!
(I suppose a better measure would be how many non-industry related sponsored teams there are. Currently, triathlon teams are, with very few exceptions, sponsored by triathlon-related companies. Are there many running teams sponsored by non-running related companies?)
Definitely advantages as listed above for sponsorship as well as training purposes.
I think we’ll see a lot more triathlon racing teams (despite the solo nature of the race) with high profile as the sport becomes more popular.
The Brooks running team with Brian Sell is a nice example of how a team effort can bring everyone on the team’s A game to the next level in an individual sport.
You could totally dominate the ITU circuit with team tactics. The problem, if I understand it correctly, is to maintain your position on your countries team you have to maintain so many points. If you are sacrificing yourself for someone else then you are rarely getting many points and will get kicked off the team.
They did this with Tri Dubai which only lasted two years
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the problem with a “team” concept is that you have to have a “league” or a “series” in which to compete. maybe monty will chime in but WAY back in the 80’s there was team j david and team pioneer that raced the USTS series. anyway, when the series goes away, it’s hard for sponsors to justify the expense of a team.
Agreed. but there is a major worldwide series today. ITU World Championship Series. and true, triathlon has been an individual sport - most of the time. but remember Whitfield’s Silver in Beijing? Colin Jenkins did massive work for him as his domestique (and thus finished dead last) but hey it was a Silver for Team Canada!
now check this… right now you have some huge guns competing in the ITU WCS - but only in it for themselves. in triathlon, it always comes down to the run. whether you have a huge bike gap in an ironman (Lieto, Kona 09) or whether you enter T2 in a pack of 6-40 (pretty much any ITU race). SO, hypothetically speaking, you take someone like Jarrod Shoemaker who can RUN like a beast, and you take someone like Cameron Dye, who can SWIM and Bike like a BEAST, and under some kind of team contract with bonuses or whatever, you make it worth your Swim/Bike Powerhouse’s time and effort to get your Run powerhouse into T2 in as best shape possible. If the runner wins or at least finishes in the money, it is either split amongst the team and or the team’s big $$ sponsor gives the domestique an nice bonus for the work done on that day.
and thats just a 2 man team. imagine 3 or more… one man can have a go for a breakaway and either save his energy to help the team leader if caught or he could go for a hincapie/popovich style breakaway/go for it stage win. or they could be used to put pressure up front and blow the competition up.
watch, im calling it… young Brownlee works for Ali Brownlee when he can/if necessary. and it will work. It worked out perfectly for my brother and me at a small Junior elite race a few years back. We went from a 40sec deficit from the main group at T1 to my brother running Almost everybody down taking 2nd place.
granted, this stuff wont work w non drafting races, unless you hire a “pacer” type rider to pull your runner (outside of 10m of course) into T2. I think thats the reason Tri dubai didnt work out. too many chiefs not enough indians
Yes I think it does make more sense for a team for ITU racing especially, as far as working together in racing. Think back to Victor Plata in the Olympics, I’ve heard his team helped him along with that quest, as far as in race help/drafting, etc. Cool to see the team aspect and benefit there. For training though, a team/daily training group of stellar athletes together would be so beneficial for training… like college cross country teams are for example. Our team Riptide Multisports (www.riptidemultisports.com) is a pro team, mostly ITU focused, I don’t know of too many other pro teams in the ITU realm. We mostly just swim together during the week, and do weekend group rides or runs. Hard part is getting everyone together geographically and with different time schedules. There are other pro teams like the NCTT/Sport Beans & Timex teams, but I assume those members are spread out more and don’t get to train together that much, but I could be wrong.
Hard part is getting everyone together geographically and with different time schedules. There are other pro teams like the NCTT/Sport Beans & Timex teams, but I assume those members are spread out more and don’t get to train together that much, but I could be wrong.
no, you are right about Timex at least. / In other countries often national, state, city teams (Olympic distance) serves like a place to train with partners at home and training camps and I mean 3+ weeks training camps, never heard of 3 days training camps before I came to US. To my opinion it is very important to have training partners and go to camps if you looking for elite level. many to say