The roads of the area are a cyclist's playground, offering a mix of climbs and flat coastal terrain.
(Photo: Larry Rosa)
Sunny skies, sandy shores, and the abundant country roads Carpinteria has on offer make the sleepy beach town that's 15 miles south of Santa Barbara a welcome playground for Team TIBCO’s training camp. The week-long camp comes on the heels of a trip up north to spend a day in Morgan Hill with equipment sponsor Specialized, and a day in Grover Beach visiting clothing sponsor Voler, to see first-hand how their kits are made. We joined up with the team at their beachfront “bungalow” for the afternoon to see what the women of TIBCO had up their sleeves for 2012.
The women aren’t shy when it comes to stating their 2012 season objectives—winning races in Europe and the overall U.S. NRC Team competition, while putting as many TIBCO team members as possible in the London Olympics along the way. Big goals, no doubt, but for a program that has found a way to thrive without falling under the umbrella of a men’s team, there’s little out of reach for the girls of Team TIBCO.
Meredith Miller, Amanda Miller, and Megan Gaurnier will be instrumental in helping Team TIBCO reach their season’s objectives of European wins, team NRC title, and Olympic berths.
Entering their seventh season with title sponsor TIBCO (a software development company), the 13-woman roster keeps most of their core riders from 2011, which saw them finish second overall in NRC team rankings. Team captains Meredith Miller and Megan Guarnier return. Amanda Miller re-enters the fold after spending two years with the HTC-Highroad team, which allowed her to gain valuable European racing experience—something the entire team will be getting plenty of this season.
Team founder and Olympian Linda Jackson says, “A large focus this year is the European racing. TIBCO is an international company, so racing overseas fits in well. We’re not just going over there to gain experience, we’re going to win races-our team is at that level". Winner of Italy’s Giro della Toscana in 2011, Megan Guarnier agreed, “The racing is much harder than in the U.S.; the depth of the field, the narrow roads, and the travel all make it tough, but we’ve already proven we can win in Europe”.
The back door of their camp house opened onto the Sandyland Cove Beach with a view of the Channel Islands off in the distance.
The camp started off with sponsor meetings and photos, but once that wrapped up it was about logging miles and spending time together as a team. Practicing the sprint lead out and making sure everyone knows their role within the team is going to be important to success right off the bat. Team veteran and captain Meredith Miller realizes that communication is key to success, “Without the use of race radios anymore we’re forced to make decisions on the road, and sometimes there are girls that are strong, but don’t have the tactical sense yet. That’s where having a good road captain is important in order to make the split-second decisions.”
Team TIBCO will once again be back on Specialized Amiras, but their SL3s of last season were updated to the new SL4, which the women say is noticeably stiffer. Reynolds is onboard, providing multiple different depth wheels to make sure the team has the right wheel for the job. Other than at the European Classics, the team will use carbon clinchers with Maxxis tires.
While the team members were busy in sponsor meetings, the mechanics had the arduous task of setting up the equipment, which includes dialing in each rider's position down to the exact millimeter. Thanks to Specialized's Body Geometry fit system saddle height, saddle setback, stem length and handlebar height can be easily transferred from bike to bike.
Don't try this at home! Spraying water on a nearly $3,000 power meter isn't for the faint of heart, so leave it to the professionals. Cleaning and lubing the bikes daily is a necessary task at camp and the races since keeping the bikes looking and functioning at the level expected by the pro riders is part of the mechanic's job.
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