A cycling team is a group of cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle races of any kind - whether they are recreational or professional - and the supporting personnel. Cycling is the use of Bicycles or - less commonly - Unicycles Tricycles Quadricycles and other similar wheeled Human powered vehicles Bicycle racing encompasses many forms in which Bicycles are used for competition Cycling teams are most important in road bicycle racing, which is a team sport, but in track cycling and cyclo-cross, collaboration between team members is also important. Road bicycle racing is a popular Bicycle racing Sport held on roads (following the Geography of the area using Racing bicycles The Team sport refers to Sports that are practiced between opposing teams where the players interact directly and simultaneously between them to achieve an objective Track cycling is a Bicycle racing Sport usually held on specially-built banked tracks or Velodromes (but many events are held at older velodromes where the Cyclo-cross (sometimes cyclocross, CX, cyclo-X or ' cross) is a form of Bicycle racing.
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Composition of a cycling team
While the riders form the core of a cycling team, a top-level cycling team also has support personnel who perform various tasks in support of the team's racing and training activities. A racing bicycle is a Bicycle designed for road cycling according to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI Bicycle Wheel is a readymade by Marcel Duchamp consisting of a bicycle fork with front wheel mounted upside-down on a wooden stool These include
- A manager, who oversees the team's commitments, sponsorship efforts, and general operation.
- Directeurs sportif, who travel with the team to the races and dictate the racing strategy of the team. A directeur sportif ( French for sporting director, although the original French term is often used in English-language media plural directeurs sportifs In the bigger teams they often drive the team cars and have radio contact with the riders.
- Coaches, who direct the team's training efforts.
- Doctors, who are medical doctors responsible for the riders' physical well-being and are often also tasked with making sure that the riders' conditions meet the various regulations, such as those related to doping.
- Therapists, who are responsible to assist the coaches with the riders' physical well-being.
- Soigneurs, who are assistants responsible for various things like feeding, clothing, and escorting the riders.
- Mechanics, who are responsible for the team's equipment. A bicycle mechanic is a Mechanic who can perform a wide range of repairs on Bicycles A person who works in a cycling store is usually only considered a bike mechanic
There are also officers for various responsibilities, such as sponsorship, marketing, and communication.
Cycling teams by levels of commitment
There are many different levels of commitment between the riders and the cycling team. Amateur racing is gaining in popularity and amateur "grass-roots" racing teams range from simply a collection of riders who identify themselves as members of a team to teams that provide their riders with substantial equipment discounts, some free equipment and material, and monetary support for race attendance.
A top-level Professional cycling team is registered with the Union Cycliste Internationale, which enforces a set of rules and a points system for professional cycling competition. Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI is a Cycling association that oversees competitive cycling events internationally There are also national federations, such as USA Cycling in the United States.
Road cycling teams
Like in other team-sports, different team members will have different specializations. There are climbing specialists, who grind away on the hard inclines; sprinters, who save their energy for crucial sprints for points and position; time trialists, who work with great efficiency to keep speed high over great distances; and domestiques, who guard the team from aggressive riders and assist in ensuring the team stays properly hydrated and fed, as well as doing more than their share of windbreaking. A cycling sprinter is a Road bicycle racer or track racer who can finish a race very explosively by accelerating quickly to a high speed often using the A time trialist is a Road bicycle racer who can maintain high speeds for long periods of time to maximize performance during individual or Team time trials Domestique redirects here For other similar terms see Domestic.
The leader or leaders of cycling teams are called captains, and the rest of the team is often arranged around supporting the captain or captains. Sometimes riders who represent a secondary goal for the team are called lieutenants. The rest of the team is supposed to help their captains as their first priority; but, depending on the race and the team, may also be allowed to try to win. The captains are obviously the riders with the most media exposure, as well as the ones with the best chance of winning the race.
There is a large variation in the roles between teams and races. For example, under Lance Armstrong, the U. Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson September 18 1971 is an American professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam Team Astana S. Postal team (and later the Discovery Channel team) was exclusively focused on his needs during the Tour de France. History See also:CategoryTour de France by year The dominant sports newspaper in France On the other hand, in the same race and period, in the Rabobank team the individual riders were supposed to go for any chance they saw. Rabobank ( UCI Team Code RAB) is a professional Bicycle racing team sponsored by the Rabobank.
In one day races, one or several leaders are usually chosen to be the riders whose strengths are best matched to the character of the race itself. In stage races, different teams focus on different goals. A stage in Road bicycle racing is a part of a multi-day event such as the Tour de France or the Giro d'Italia. For example, during the 2005 Tour de France certain teams such as the Discovery Channel team or the T-Mobile Team were focused on the General Classification, while other teams specialized in winning stages or winning one of the other classifications. The 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd Tour de France, taking place from July 2 to July 24 2005 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team ( UCI Team Code: DSC) was a US -based professional Road bicycle racing team. The general classification (or the GC) in Bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi- stage bicycle races In the 2004 Tour de France the Quickstep-Davitamon team focused on helping Richard Virenque win the Polka dot jersey in the Tour de France, while the Davitamon-Lotto team was focused on helping Robbie McEwen win the Green jersey. Stages Jersey progress Teams 188 riders in 21 teams started 147 riders finished Quick Step ( UCI Team Code QST) is a Belgian UCI ProTour Cycling team led by team manager Patrick Lefevere. Richard Virenque (born November 19[[ 969]] in Casablanca, Morocco) is a retired French professional Road racing cyclist. The polka dot jersey (maillot à pois rouges is the jersey awarded for the best climber during the mountain stages of the Tour de France cycle race History See also:CategoryTour de France by year The dominant sports newspaper in France Silence-Lotto ( (formerly Davitamon-Lotto for 2005-2006 and Predictor-Lotto for 2007 is a Belgian professional cycling team sponsored Robbie McEwen (born June 24, 1972 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian professional Road bicycle racer, specializing In Road bicycle racing, and in the Grand Tour stage races in particular the Green jersey is the name given to a distinctive racing jersey worn by the leader In recent years the Fassa Bortolo team has focused their teams exclusively around their sprinter Alessandro Petacchi in races which suit his sprinting ability. Fassa Bortolo (2000-2005 was a professional Road bicycle racing team founded in 2000 and lead by Giancarlo Ferretti. Alessandro Petacchi (born on January 3, 1974 in La Spezia, Liguria) is an Italian professional road cyclist. Some smaller teams, or those not well-suited to the race in hand, may simply choose to get their riders into a long breakaway situation to get coverage time on television or other media.
Not all teams have a leader, though, and simply try to do their best in each and every situation presented to them. Most professional teams keep between 10-20 riders at any given time.
Teams are generally sponsored by companies in exchange for advertising in the form of the team name, prominent placement of logos on official jerseys, and other endorsements. Advertising is a form of Communication that typically attempts to persuade potential Customers to Purchase or to consume more of a particular Brand Sponsorships range in size from small "mom-and-pop" businesses contributing largely in the name of good fun to local teams, to multimillion-dollar deals funding the latest in cycling technology in exchange for television and other advertisements. The need for sponsor recognition is part of what drives teams to burn themselves out early to gain a temporary lead in multistage races as opposed to giving a long, balanced effort and never finishing highly enough for the sponsor's investment to pay off from a marketing standpoint. In popular usage "marketing" is the promotion of products especially Advertising and Branding However in professional usage the term has a wider meaning of Sponsorship can also be in terms of funds, equipment (such as Racing bicycles, components, parts, clothing, etc. A racing bicycle is a Bicycle designed for road cycling according to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI ) and facilities (such as providing the team cars, trucks, etc. ).
Although teams today are focused on obtaining funding from commercial sponsors, several previous editions of the Tour de France was run by national teams, which did not allow the possibility of overt commercial sponsorship.
See also
The UCI ProTour is a competition under the International Cycling Union ( UCI) Road bicycle racing is a popular Bicycle racing Sport held on roads (following the Geography of the area using Racing bicycles The A stage in Road bicycle racing is a part of a multi-day event such as the Tour de France or the Giro d'Italia.Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic