This article will review the preparation for the 2010 MTB World Championship, Quebec, Canada. The racing in Mount Saint Anne is September 1-5, but preparation begins weeks ahead. Before crowning of a World Champion, there will be a World Cup event at Windham, NY, which will be used as final preparation by the US Team. I will be attending both events, and will attempt to give updates as I am able. What goes on in the USA Team Shop at these events is described in the background and history at the end of this page.
September 1, 2010
The first race day and we are ready. XC Team Relay, where each country pits four riders against the world. One rider must be an elite man, an elite woman, a junior man, and a U23 rider. The order is up to the team manager and this is where tactics come into play. Who can set the pace right from the gun? Who is able to bat clean up? We will find out today what Marc Gullickson, USAC MTB Program Director, has up his lycra sleeve.
NEWS FLASH: The USA gets eighth place, an excellent finish! I can safely tell you the order of the race. leading off, Todd Wells (Elite Men), followed by Rob Squire (U23), Seth Kemp (Junior Man), and bringing it home, Katie Compton (Elite Woman).
Right after the Team Relay, the Junior Women will battle to select a World Champion today, and we will be there, but not me. For me, it is a hotel day at the beautiful Le Refuge du Faubourg , getting things straightened here before the wave of DH bike hit after the 12:30 practice ends.
We line up the race-day bikes separate from the others. This allows the bikes some quite time before getting down to business, and we find this helps. But one rider has not yet mounted the number plate, can you tell which one?
What a great way to cool off, washing one's bike after a pounding and hot practice. Sage Wilderman and Stephan Ettinger clean their race vehicle even before getting clean themselves.
A derailleur hanger is in need a re-alignment, a common job for us and made easy with the DAG-2. This does not make for a weaker drive train, because there is no stress on the hanger from the rider's mighty quads...inspite of what they might say.
There is cutting edge bike technology here, but it really comes down to basics in the end. In our shop, that mean keeping tidy. Notice there was broken glass on the floor, and what appears to be some aluminum shaving that may or may not be from an athlete's bike. I cannot possibly comment on this, and besides, no one was there besides us.
August 31, 2010
This is a shake out day. Riders will get to know the courses, and we will get our system dialed. It is hot here and dusty, not what we expected. We carry a variety of lubes just for this reason.
Lydia knows to lubricate the chain after a bike wash, and the lube of choice is CL-1
The XC racing allows the use of Tech Pits, where we may repair most anything. Once the rider reaches the pit zone, we can install a wheel, a chain, straighten handle bars, install a new derailleur (yes, that happens) but we cannot replace the main frame. Today we will practice our pit services and see where we can improve our speed. Our athletes deserve nothing less then the best we can offer.
We are fully staffed and open for business. Any USA rider regardless of corporate trade team affiliation may stop by the hotel garage or the USA Team tent for service, or just stop anyone of us for service. Just so you know us, we are from left to right: Than White, Ray Waxham, Calvin Jones, Matt Eames, and TJ Grove, but "hey you" will also work for anyone of us.
2010 MTB World Championship USA Team Shop staff, here to serve
As a disclaimer, this next image is not about my mug, but about the sign behind us. I had all of the USA Team Mechanics sign this because I see it as a pledge, an oath of sorts. "We Take Pride In Servicing This Vehicle" is the printing. Okay, actually it was the floor matt from the Penske truck, but it states clearly one of our core values.
We are now deep into the belly of the beast. Nights are getting filled with work as the bikes are pounded during the day. The entire staff, managers, therapists, team doctors are all hopping to keep the USA Team going.
Than has a nice pile of very small setscrews, leaf springs, pawls, gears, and bearing, which he coaxes back into race form
August 30, 2010
Finally, home at Mount Saint Anne, Quebec, Canada. Not really our home, but we will make it so this week. Time to create a shop and get ready for the fun to come.
There is always new technology that comes along, and it also sometimes goes. This year things are getting more complex in the XC world. There are 26" MTB tires and now of course 29er tires. Add to this 9 speed cassette cogs, and now 10 speed cassette cogs. Further there are riders using a 160mm rotor but some save a bit, just a bit, of weight with the 140mm rotors. How many permutations is that? Too many would be the answer because it is making life in the Tech Pit during the race difficult.
One new headache for us is in regards to the trainers. These are used to warm up for XC, DH and 4X. But most trainers are behind the curve here and fit only the 26". We could try to swap wheels to a small road tire, but that means more equipment. The answer, luckily for us, is to drill and remount the roller adjusting screw lower to allow more room.
The PRS-25 again and again finds new uses, now as the official Drill The Trainer stand of the USA Team Shop
Out with the bad one, in with the new hole
Ray makes good use of his knife and trims just enough off the mold to clear the 29er tire. Kids, do not try this at home, he is a trained professional, and also makes a great cup of coffee.
August 29, 2010
It is Downhill Finals at the Windham World Cup. We immediately break camp after the event and it is north, north to Canada. For those who are readers of history, you will be familiar with the route, as we will follow the traditional one for invasions northward. Pass by Fort Ticonderoga, continue on to Plattsburg, and push on to secure Montreal before turning east. Not unlike General Montgomery, we muster our forces and leave in late August. But this is no campaign of aggression, as cycling is truly a global sport. The athletes all have friends from different countries. For myself, I look forward to seeing my international mechanic pals, and then beating them.
Brendon Fairclough (Monster Racing) was in the hot seat after his run at the Windham World Cup, hoping not to be deposed, but alas, he was eventually bumped from this chair of honor
No, not a DH bike. It is bike that doesn't go in circles. You pedal by pushing up and down. Not actually "legal" by the racing rules of the UCI, but still an interesting design.
If you are not supported by the trade teams at these UCI World Cup events, but are still good, you can make the USA Team. Here you get what you need but it is not always the fanciest. For example, the mechanics will be driving 8 hours to Canada in a Penske rent-a-truck.
Not exactly a comfortable STL-1.2, Steven Ettinger finds our shipping boxes enough of a perch to check his texts
Max is a volunteer with Shimano Multi-Services, and is from Minnesota, and makes "M" stir sticks from bike spokes. Marvelous.
August 28th, 2010
It was a good day for us. The Windham World Cup is preparation for the World Championships next week. The USA Cycling development team fought for two silvers, one in the Junior Men and one in the Junior Women. This is a good beginning.
Junior Woman Alicia Rose Pastore, silver medalist, with her podium flowers and USA Team Therapist Elke Brutsaert
Seth Kemp, silver medalist in the Junior Men, in a fine tradition, recognizes his sponsor with the podium flowers, who of course is his mom. Parents are still the driving force in this sport, road or MTB.
When we head to the Tech Pits we need a lot of equipment. The BXB-1 makes it easy.
TJ Grove is ready for action with spare wheels, a pump, tools, and of course a cell phone
August 27, 2010
I arrive in Windham and set up shop in a dirt parking lot with TJ Grove. We are here to support the USA Team riders that are competing in the Windham World Cup. There are just the two of us for a few days, and we are completely slammed with work.
TJ Grove replaces a worn chain ring and greases the bolts which came out screaming and crying. He is working over the USA Team Shop rug so any dropped part land in the mid-west, while he has a knee stuck apparently in the Gulf of Mexico.
We see a lot of blue around, such as the BX-1 tool box, used at the Shimano Tech Pit.
The BX-1 is right at home at these elite level events
We finish a 12 hour day, and pack up to head back to the condo. Turns out what is waiting for us is.....more work. A junior it appears did not see the XC Bike Prep video as both hub bearing were completely shot. The front hub bearing play could not be removed and that allows the rotor to move in the caliper body. Additionally both upper and lower pulley bolts are trashed. So, we open up the truck and get to it, keeping any grumbling to ourselves, well, and to this web page.
TJ swaps tires, rotors and cassette. The USA shop flag for now lives in the Penske rent-a-truck, until we move north to Canada.
Time finally to lock up the truck with the best and baddest lock around, Kyptonite.
Pre-Event Prep
This year we are trying something new. Getting the bike fully prepared before it hits the race is critical to what we do at these events. In the interest in keeping hip and with the times, videos were created to encourage the athletes to be prepared. This targeted effort was specifically aimed at the members of the USA MTB Team, and while potentially not a blockbuster, it does convey the seriousness of being ready for your race.
XC:
Gravity:
There are a lot of equipment to deal with, a lot of tools to turn, a lot of technical work to do, plus the occasional heated discussions among the technicians at a World Championship. However, the longer I am in this field, the more I appreciate that what we do is truly about the engines, I mean the athletes. These are the people we will serve, the athletes of the 2010 USA Mountain Bike Team:
Elite Women Cross Country Georgia Gould Willow Koerber Katie Compton Mary McConneloug Heather Irmiger Kelli Emmett Allison Mann
Elite Men Cross Country Todd Wells Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski Adam Craig Sam Schultz Michael Broderick Carl Decker Spencer Paxson
U23 Women Cross Country Sage Wilderman Lydia Tanner
U23 Men Cross Country Tad Elliott Rob Squire Russell Finsterwald Stephen Ettinger Jack Hinkens Mitch Hoke
Junior Women Cross Country Alicia Rose Pastore Sofia Hamilton Essence Barton
Junior Men Cross Country Skyler Truijillo Zach Valdez Seth Kemp Tony Smith Will Curtis
Elite Men Downhill Aaron Gwin Luke Strobel Kyle Strait Logan Binggeli Tyler Immer Brad Benedict Duncan Riffle
Junior Women Downhill Kelsey Anderson
Junior Men Downhill Sam Powers Bryson Martin Neko Mulally Mitch Ropelato Nate Furbee Evan Powell Trevor Trinkino
Women Four-Cross Neven Steinmetzn
Men Four-Cross Ross Milan Barry Nobles Mitch Ropelato Blake Carney
Trials-Men Neil Willey: Elite Men 20" Dave Campbell: Elite Men 26" Mike Steidley: Elite Men 26" Matt Meyer: Elite Men 26"
All right, okay, let us be honest, for us, maybe it really is about the bike. When those engines rev up, when those carburetors get wide open, when all pistons are firing, that bike had better be perfect, and that is always our goal. But the true pleasure of a World Championship, truth be told, comes from the hours of hard work with one's peers. I am honored to be part of this team of mechanics:
TJ Grove (Georgia) is a guru, friend, and foil, all in one
Than White ( North Carolina), a great technician all year long, but he raises his game this week, taking it to the next level
Ray Waxham (Wisconsin) is new to the team, and likes to relax with a Coke and a smile
Matt Eames (Oregon) making an encore appearance, and brings the skills of a teacher and technician
Calvin Jones (Minnesota), the one on the right, with the moustache, just trying to keep up
This section will review some the history and background of these events and what I try to achieve:
In 1990, the UCI held the first ever MTB World Championships in Durango, Colorado. As one of the volunteer mechanics working at the Shimano Multi-Service tent, I saw firsthand that there was no dedicated support for the US Team. Athletes, including the USA riders, such as Steve Tilford, simply stood in a long line at the Shimano tent for as long as it took to get their bikes serviced. Some riders used a trade team mechanic, but there was no US National Team support. My early race work was through the US Cycling Federation (predecessor to USA Cycling), where the emphasis was teamwork in providing race support. I felt that US riders should be treated as a team, with technical support services provided by a dedicated staff of mechanics. After the event, I began discussions regarding technical support with the Director of NORBA.
My vision for Team USA technical support went into action at the 1994 World Championship in Vail, Colorado. This was the first time there was a staff of mechanics whose primary responsibility was service to the athletes at the USA team hotel. In fact, all USA riders competing at the World's were and are welcome. I called this effort the USA TEAM SHOP, both to emphasize the team aspect, and to model the professionalism of a retail shop. As our reputation grew, we began to see more elite riders and their mechanics, needing service, or needing to borrow tools.
To me, the purpose of race support is to allow the athletes a chance to focus on their competition. To me, the World Championships are a very special event, an event where our athletes, and staff, represent the United States of America. Corporate affiliations dominate the racing life for most of the year, but at a World Championship, these corporate allegiances should come second to loyalty to the other riders on the US Team. It is my goal to have the USA Team Shop model this team attitude and behavior.
I believe strongly in a team attitude and team approach to athlete support. For one thing, it is simply more fun. Working within a group allows each our special skills utilized best. However, even if you consider yourself a "downhill mechanic", when you work in the USA Team Shop you better be ready to serve any athlete, wash the rental cars, or fix the hotel washing machine. Working in a group, in a team approach, raises expectations in us and toward each other. It sharpens your game, as you are taking it to the next level. It allows us to ask for help or a second opinion without fear of getting a damaged ego. Working with one's peers is its own reward.
A typical day at a World Championship begins early, about 0600, by unlocking and stacking the bikes for easy rider access. The trucks will be loaded and packed for the day's training/racing. We keep a mechanic at the Hotel Shop because athletes come and go all day long. At least two mechanics staff the USA Team Tent at the race venue. They will do any quick servicing needed, such as flat tires, but the heavy lifting, such as bottom bracket, fork installation, etc., will be performed back at the Hotel shop. During the day, the athletes smash things up, as is appropriate, and in the afternoon everyone returns to the hotel, where the work pace picks up as we get the machines ready for another day. Riders are welcome to come and work in the Shop on their bikes, but we attempt to close the Shop to riders at 22:00. Left alone, we can finish work and hopefully begin cabling bikes and locking down by 23:00.
There is of course a certain level of chaos and tension at race events. Having documentation and a service check-in procedure helps maintain a sense of order and calm for everyone. By recording and documenting our service, we are able to review the work at the end of the day. We track our repairs with a simple repair ticket printed on card-stock paper. By using a repair ticket, we know who was the service writer, who worked on the bike, and what was done (or not done) to the bike.
Our work at these events depends largely on correctly diagnosing and recording the athlete's service needs. A very critical skill at these events I feel is technical communication with the riders and with the other mechanics. Each mechanic will be acting as Shop Service Writer at different times. This means we listen to our customers (athletes) and their perceived symptoms. We reflect back their concerns by asking probing questions, and then record this information on the ticket for the work mechanic. The mechanic writing the ticket may or may not be the mechanic that ends up working on that particular bike. We write to ticket so it is understandable by any of us..
The classic mistake of any service department is allowing the customer to diagnose the repair without digging deeper. It is important that we review the symptoms with the athlete and then use our own judgment, even if we end up at the same conclusion as the athlete.
It ends up being an exhausting week run at a pace we could not hold year round. But this is the World Championships, and as our athletes are expected to take it up to the next level, so is the staff. For 2010, as we are in Quebec, Canada, the Shop motto was easy. Vive la prèparation de l'equipment!
