Chris Davidson’s Diary – Tour of the Gila Stage 1

April 30th, 2009 by Chris Davidson View Comments

Hello BikeWorldNews.com readers, welcome to the 2009 version of the Tour of the Gila, also known locally as the Lance and Levi show. The race is one of the true classics in the US: a long, rich history; epic courses; stellar weather [if you discount the fierce winds], big fields and great competition. SRAM really stepped up the year to lift the race to another level and ensure its future, and I could not be happier. This race is one of true highlights of domestic racing.

So what is it about this race that gets a mechanic excited? A small town that really loves the race is a start. People in this town are genuinely excited about the race and the excitement that comes with the influx of the visitors. Next would be the laid back way of life here in Silver City. No traffic to fight, the hotel parking lot has plenty of room for our team vehicles, the Walmart has everything else I might need to stock up on. On the racing front, this stage race has three epic road stages with serious climbing and descents, so going in the team car with the director during the stage is an enjoyable, every stimulating scenic experience.

On a more practical side for me, we have two mechanics here at the race for Team Type 1, taking care of our 8 pro men racers. Additionally, one woman from our pro women’s team, current National Time Trial Champion, Allison Powers is here doing the women’s race. She has no teammates, soigner or director, but we are taking care of her bikes.

With two mechanics, everything just goes smoother. For example, post race we need to wash and prep bikes for tomorrow. Doug [our head mechanic] started washing the wheels ridden in the race today as soon as we got back to the hotel, while unloaded some things and got changed. When he was done with wheels, I started washing frames and he set up to reinstall wheels and do the race tune to the bikes. It is such a dry climate here in southwestern New Mexico, that as soon as I can wash frames they are dry, so I can feed Doug clean frames about the pace that he can reinstall wheels and tune the bike and lube. We proceeded through the riders bikes with this division of labor until the all bikes are ready for tomorrow’s stage. After completing the race bikes we attend to other smaller tasks: today this included swapping some cassettes for tomorrow’s stage, installing some new water bottle cages and replacing a couple of chains. All this and we got everything packed up well before sundown.

I had an extra task today as Kristen Armstrong, Olympic and World Champion in the time trial, asked me to look over her road bike. She rides for the Euro based Cervelo Test Team and is here riding solo without any team support, so it was an honor for me to spend a few extra minutes going over her bike. She won the first road stage today in a convincing manner, yet I made some changes that should help her bike run even smoother for tomorrow. I have worked with Kristen in the past on various different teams, and it is always rewarding to help out old friends. She is going to need her “A” game to defeat our own Allison Powers. 

Dinner tonight was a mini reunion of team staff, as I went out with former coworkers that now work for three different teams. Team staff share a common experience, and given the ever changing team sponsorship landscape, a number of us have had common employers in the past. The mutual respect and brotherhood we share transcends any current team affiliations. It was enjoyable to swap new stories at dinner.

Tomorrow holds another epic road stage and an early wakeup call, as the stage starts a 9am. In the morning we will roll the bikes out of the trailer, pump all the race and spare wheels, wash the vehicles, and load the caravan car with wheels and spare bikes. All this will take place between 6 and 7am. One sign of a good mechanic is that everything is done and ready to go before any riders come down from their rooms in the morning. This way the mechanics give off a calm feeling of confidence and complete preparation. This keeps the riders relaxed and focused before the stage. In some ways I am a sports psychologist as well as a mechanic.

More tomorrow, thanks for reading.

CD