BikeTechReview.com

What It Takes to Break Into the Pro Ranks
From a Team Director's Perspective

Cycling is divided up into multiple racing categories that are designed to create a competitive arena for a wide range of talents, time commitments and age. There is a home for just about everyone who enjoys racing a bike. Professional cycling is quite different though, as only a select few ever reach that level. There are a limited number of pro teams making the competition quite intense for the limited number of spots. Every year there are dozens of athletes hoping to get their big “break." One good thing about racing in the US is that professional competition is quite accessible since Category 1 and 2 riders often race against the pros. To many aspiring riders, how to go about maximizing your chances of breaking into the pro ranks is not too clear. Hopefully I can provide a bit of insight as to what it takes.

The UCI and Me 

The UCI’s recent publishing of “conforming” bicycle wheels has placed me in a difficult moral position. As is the case with most moral dilemmas, I feel pressure from two sides. For whatever reason, I feel a certain amount of obligation to my former employer in the bicycle wheel industry; they simply want to put the whole UCI wheel decision behind them. This company gave me many opportunities and I don’t really want to cause problems for their business or the relationships I developed there. On the other hand, I feel that the public should be made aware of certain events and facts that led up to and surround the institution of the UCI’s rupture test of bicycle wheels.