Ever taken a spin class or gone out for a long ride on your shiny, expensive road bike? If you have, then you likely know something about the intense and fiery pain that builds up as a result of the frantic and repeated pedaling that’s required. In either of the aforementioned cases, however, your goals probably start and end with getting in better shape. When it comes to competing for international prestige and Olympic berths, like for the women of Team Webcor, pain takes on a whole new meaning.
Competitive cyclists can race distances exceeding 100 miles, hitting speeds greater than 60 miles per hour — that tops the high school clunker that you took to the prom. The forceful nature of each pedal stroke and the precision required for sharp turns, not to mention the cutthroat nature of elite racing, make it exponentially more dangerous than the weekend pleasure ride with your buddies. It’s no surprise, then, that cyclists are among the most often injured athletes in the world.
For Webcor, however, the risk is worth the reward. Established seven years ago, Webcor is the longest-running professional women’s team in North America and has plenty to show for it. Team manager Karen Brems, a former elite rider, says that she receives 50–100 resumes a year from women wanting a spot on the team.
“I think we have established a reputation of being a well-organized team that also has fun together,” she says.
That fun could be from all of the success that it enjoys. Webcor’s winning mystique can be attributed to its highly prestigious group of riders wearing the team’s jerseys every year — and 2010 is no different. This year’s roster features three returning riders, including Katheryn Curi Mattis, an 11-year pro with wins at the U.S. National Road Race Championships (2005) and the Geelong World Cup (2008) to her credit.
The collective experience of Brems and Mattis helps to construct a better picture of what it means to be a part of such an elite squad and what it takes to keep the top finishes coming.
Q: The Webcor women’s team is a very well-established name in cycling. Is there a lot of pride that goes into sporting that team jersey?
Katheryn: This is my sixth year on Webcor, and I definitely feel very proud to wear the jersey. Karen and the other staff have put together a team built out of professionalism and love for the sport. I look at what the team has accomplished in the seven years it has been around and I love being part of it.
Q: What does the 2010 roster look like?
Katheryn: We have three returning riders — Gina Grain, Erinne Willock, and myself — and five new riders who bring a mix of experience and strengths. Lindsay Myers and Ally Stacher are development riders, and I love working with up-and-coming riders. Andrea Graus brings her experience with riding in Europe, and I look forward to working with Alex Wrubleski again. Joelle Numainville showed some great success last year, and I feel she is a rider to watch this year.
Karen: We have a great mix of very experienced riders to go along with some talented, young, up-and-coming riders, which keeps everyone fresh. We have three Olympians on our roster.
Q: What are the key events on the calendar for 2010?
Karen: We are focusing on the top stage races in the U.S., especially events in the Women's Prestige Cycling Series, like the Redlands Bicycle Classic, Tour of the Gila, Nature Valley Grand Prix, and Cascade Classic.
Q: What is the toughest race that Webcor will compete in this year?
Katheryn: With the Montreal races now off the schedule, which is a major disappointment, I would have to say the Liberty Classic.
Karen: Redlands always draws a top-level field, with some of the European teams sending riders there. It is also the first big race of the season, so nobody is quite sure where their — and everyone else’s — form really is!
Q: Do you have some goals that you’ll be trying to meet as a team in 2010?
Karen: We are targeting an overall win at the Women's Prestige Cycling Series, but we try to win every race we enter.
Q: It’s still a few years away, but how much do the 2012 Olympics play into the team’s plans?
Karen: The Olympics have always been a priority for us and are near and dear to the heart of Webcor, our title sponsor. We qualified one rider in 2004 and four riders in 2008. We hope to continue that trend into 2012.
Katheryn: 2012 is definitely a focus for the team. Webcor has historically supported riders towards making the Olympic team, and I think the momentum is there to continue doing so.
Q: What are some of the top speeds that elite women can reach in a road race?
Katheryn: Ha! The fastest I have gone is 65 miles per hour on a downhill. I have never really paid attention, though, on some of the flats. I can say at some races I am impressed with how quickly the scenery flies by!
Karen: In a big field sprint, they can hit close to 40 miles per hour on flat ground. Time trial speeds are close to 30 miles per hour for 30–40 minutes.
Q: Endurance is obviously the most common physical denominator for cyclists, but some cyclists are also gifted sprinters. Do riders train to maximize efficiency on long rides as well as on short bursts?
Katheryn: I do my best to train the entire spectrum of what it takes to be a successful cyclist. I am more of a climber/time trialist and spend most of my time on that, but I cannot ignore doing shorter efforts and sprints.
Karen: Every rider has strengths and weaknesses. You have to train your weaknesses, but you win races on your strengths! Everyone can be a better sprinter through training. Even if you never win a field sprint, if you come to the line in a breakaway with three or four other climbers, you need to outsprint them to win the race. The key is to not spend so much time on your weaknesses that you lose the edge in your strengths.
Q: What kind of training do you do off the bike?
Karen: Many riders do strength training in the off-season — either gym or on-the-bike strength work. During the season, there is really no time for anything other than training on the bike. It is nice to do something a bit different — like cross-country skiing, swimming, or running — in the winter, but the off-season is really not very long.
Katheryn: In the off-season I run to stay in shape and also take a break from the bike. I do strength training in the gym as well and try to do yoga to work on balance and flexibility.
Q: Everyone knows that strong legs are important for cyclists, but how important is upper body strength?
Katheryn: Pure upper body strength is definitely not as important for cyclists, but it cannot be completely ignored. When you are pulling up on the bars while climbing or in a sprint, having some strength is beneficial.
Karen: Upper body strength helps in sprinting. It also helps protect you in crashes. A strong core is also really important for creating a strong platform for the legs to work off of.
Q: How does an elite cyclist eat during training? Are there a few things that you have to focus on?
Katheryn: Eating during training depends a bit on what type of training I am doing. On short recovery rides, I only go out with a bottle of water, compared to long endurance rides where I will have at least one bottle with PowerBar
® Endurance sports drink mix in it and a pocketful of food. I have learned that I need to eat about every 40 minutes on the bike when doing a long ride to keep my energy up and not bonk.
Karen: Webcor is a stage racing team, which means day-to-day recovery is critical. Replenishing glycogen stores immediately after one stage can be the difference between being able to race well and getting dropped in the next day's stage.
Q: How important is proper hydration? Do you have a set amount of fluids that you try to get in every day during training?
Karen: Hydration is very important. Races are won and lost by inches after 3–4 hours in the saddle. If you get behind on hydration or nutrition early in the race, you just don't have the gas you need for the final kick. Webcor uses Endurance sports drink mix during all our races. On a hot day, each rider can go through as many as 10 bottles!
Katheryn: If I fall behind and get dehydrated in a stage race, it is very difficult to catch up, and this affects my performance the rest of the race. While training and racing, I do my best to go through a bottle an hour.
Q: Can you describe how your legs feel immediately after a long, grueling ride?
Katheryn: That is a good question. Sometimes it is a funny mix, with my legs feeling as if they have been pounded with a meat tenderizer; but, on the other hand, if it has been a good ride, I have the adrenaline rush that gives me this natural high.
Karen: When you are part of the winning team, they hurt a lot less!
Cycling Teams: A Closer Look
In light of the success of one Lance Armstrong, there are many casual observers of cycling who consider it an individual sport. But at the elite level, that’s simply not the case. Teams consist of several riders working in concert to highlight individual strengths, such as sprinting or climbing, in order to win races.
Climbers specialize in the steep inclines; sprinters conserve for sprints and to improve team position; time trialists can keep high speed over long distances; and domestiques guard the team from rivals and carry food and drink to team leaders. The team leader is the rider who garners the most photo ops and is supported by the rest of the riders. So Lance, amazing though he is, didn’t do it alone after all.
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