This week, Cayman will play host to almost 30 of the worlds top cyclists, including the reigning world champion. In a major coup for Cayman, the team to be known as Garmin-Cervelo in 2011 will bring its entire roster of riders, as well as some 20 members of staff, to Cayman for a preseason team building camp.
The team was formed after it was announced earlier this year that Garmin-Transitions, which is owned and operated by Slipstream Sports, would merge with Cervelo SA to form a new super team.
Since the announcement of the merger the team has already tasted great success, with Thor Hushovd becoming men’s road race world champion, Emma Pooley becoming women’s time trial world champion, and David Millar taking silver in the men’s time trial at the world championships.
The coming together of these two teams as they build into towards a single purpose promises to be one of the more interesting back stories of the 2011 season, and Cayman stands poised to be at the centre of that story as the team starts building toward that unified future here.
When looking for a venue to host the team building camp, Cayman came to mind quickly, due in part to a number of current Garmin-Transitions team members who have spent time riding and vacationing here in the past.
Peter Stetina, a pro with Garmin-Transitions and a regular visitor to Cayman, is very excited about sharing his island experience with the rest of the team.
“I’m excited and I’ve talked to a few of the guys and told them what they can expect, even though I don’t know all the fine details yet and I think everyone is genuinely excited to come down for a little off season break,” said Stetina.
Although many cyclists already take family vacation in tropical locales in the off season, a team camp is something new.
“Now we get to come here as a team and enjoy it and they get to see what the Island has to offer so I’m sure there’s going to be a few of them enticed to come back and I just hope that I still keep getting the invites for the races once Thor {Hushovd, the reigning world champion} wants to stay. I’m hoping I didn’t shoot myself in the foot,” said Stetina, laughing
.
As for the importance of the team camp, Stetina believes it cannot be overstated.
“We need the bonding session because you’re taking two teams that have normally been butting heads for two and a half years now and we need to come out of this camp and into the 2011 season as a coherent group willing to lay down our lives on the road for the other guy and I think this camp will help with that,” he said.
As for what the camp holds for the riders, the team organisation and local organisers are not too forthcoming yet.
According to local organiser Tom McCallum, everyone is playing their cards pretty close to their chests at the moment.
“We are keeping the itinerary for the team camp a closely guarded secret from the riders, but it will be an ultimate “best of Cayman” experience for them, and I can see them talking about their trip in rapturous terms throughout next season,” he said.
However, Stetina has some ideas of his own on what the camp will involve.
“We’re going to take guys out of their element in Cayman, so we’ll probably end up throwing some guys in the water. We’re going to take guys through some teamwork and bonding activities on the beach, working together and then you know there will be a few good nights out around the town. I think it will be a really good event for all and I think it will also help raise the profile of cycling on the Island,” he said.
Bringing it all together
Putting an event of this magnitude together did not come easily, though, and McCallum had to work hard to bring everything together.
“Tom McCallum is the ultimate optimist – at first it didn’t seem so promising, but he kept at it and believed it, even when other people didn’t, and now it’s come to fruition so you’ve got to give Tom a lot of credit for that and Cayman needs to give him a lot of credit,” said Stetina, who has been involved with the project from early on.
As for McCallum, he is quick to praise the local sponsors and partners of the event who came on board and shared his vision for the value that
the event can generate for Cayman.
“The contribution from Cayman partners has been nothing short of staggering. I’ve been truly impressed by the way that “Team Cayman” has stepped up from the private sector to truly act as tourism ambassadors in working with them,” said McCallum.
The main sponsors of the Cayman Pro Cycling Camp 2010 are the Ministry and Department of Tourism, the Reef Resort, Piedra Wines and Walker, with The Cayman Islands Journal acting as the local media partner.
Landing an event of this magnitude is a definite coup for the Cayman Islands.
“The team could have gone anywhere, but we wanted them to choose Cayman so that they would leave and, as highly influential people in world cycling, as well as the media from UK, USA, Norway, et cetera, would tell everybody what an incredible experience they had in Cayman,” he said.
According to David Kirkaldy of Massive Group, one of the event sponsors, cycling is the perfect fit for Cayman when it comes to marketing the country.
“I think the exposure is a perfect fit with the demographic of the target audience of the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and should be encouraged and expanded in the future if possible,” he said.
The numbers make for interesting reading. According to research conducted in the United States, the median age of cyclists is 38, with 85 per cent being between 25 and 54 years old. Medial household income is above US$80,000, 90 per cent are college educated, 39 per cent have post graduate degrees, and 53 per cent are married. Cycling is the second most popular recreational activity and over 250,000 people are active competitive cyclists. Although the information is for the United States, the profile of cycling fans in other markets relevant to Cayman follow similar trends.
“The demographics noted here seem the ideal target audience for Cayman tourism, so I see this event, and hopefully others like it in the future, as a real win for the marketing of Brand Cayman,” said Kirkaldy.
Paul Robinson of the Reef Resort is also very excited about the prospect of Cayman playing host to the team.
“The biggest contribution the cycling event brings to Cayman, is the recognition that the Cayman Islands is a great venue for very high profile sporting events. We are excited to be a part of show casing the Cayman Islands on an international stage,” he said.
Getting involved
Although it is rare for pro cycling teams to allow fans to have close interaction with the cyclists, Garmin-Transitions is known for promoting fan interaction and this camp will be no exception. There will be an opportunity for fans to take part in a training ride with the team, especially rare considering that the whole team will be taking part. The ride will start from the Reef Resort in East End, taking cyclists out towards Rum Point at a leisurely pace. The ride will return to the Reef Resort via Frank Sound and East End, taking in some of the great coastal scenery along the eastern end of the Island. Towards the end of the ride, the pace is likely to be lifted somewhat, so local cyclists can get a taste of the power needed to ride like a pro. The entry fee for the event is $30 for the ride and refreshments after, or $100 including a limited edition cycling shirt, autographed by members of the team. Additional cycling shirts will also be for sale at $75, with tech
shirts featuring the same design available for $35.
There will also be an evening event at Camana Bay, where members of the public will be able to interact with the team in a relaxed environment. The Evening with the Pros
is being sponsored by Piedra Winery, with catering by Abacus, wine by Piedra and beer by Caybrew. The evening will also feature a charity auction, with proceeds supporting the work of the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. The auction will include numerous pieces of cycling memorabilia, including three unique team bicycles that were raced by members of the Garmin-Transitions team. The bikes will be auctioned off, and the highest bidder will have the opportunity to have a photograph taken with the team member who raced the bike as well. The bikes will include a special edition bicycle built for Canadian star Ryder Hesjedal, a bike ridden by top rider David Millar, as well as another used by Tom Peterson. Tickets to the evening event are available for CI$100.
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