Are we ready yet. Two days out from the start of the Tour. The whole team has arrived at the hotel, and the Show is about to begin! It’s very exciting, but not much is really going on.
It’s sort of like when the starter calls “set” in a track & field sprint: heaps of stuff about to happen, but nothing doing just yet. Yes I once sprinted. Yes, in this instance “sprinted” is a very loosely applied verb.
This is the first full day of the road show. We have a good whack of people here: 19 staff will be on the road for the full three weeks.
Two directors, our fearless leader JV, a press officer, a doc, a physio (hurrah!), a chiro, a physiologist, an aerodynamicist, four soigneurs, three mechanics, a bus driver, a chef and his assistant.
Performing cameos will be an extra director for the first few days (the course is particularly dangerous through the north and he’ll help with recon, info & tactics) and a bonus mechanic for the prologue and TT stages.
There are the VIPs as well — and we have a whole separate staff dedicated to working with them.
We also have the team truck, bus, mobile kitchen (which is super cool), 2 people movers, and 6 cars. I’m sure I’ve missed something, but can’t think what.
Oh, and there are also nine bike riders…
So that is our team at this race! 21 other teams with all of their accoutrements are also here. It’s huge.
Today the boys have done a bit of media work, are currently out practising their bicycling for a few hours, will squeeze in a quick massage, and will then head to the presentation ceremony.
The mechanics are all furiously doing stuff. I don’t know what they do particularly, but they do a lot of it, and it takes them ages. I reckon they’re the busiest blokes on the team.
The soigneurs are mixing drinks and stocking up on supplies for the first part of the race.
Elsewise, the scientists are ruminating, directors planning, and the med team are preparing for any last minute tweaks that need sorting (hopefully none!)
And now… When does it start? When do we start? Are we ready yet? Can we start yet? Can we start yet?