Bicycle .net :: Giro d’Italia: The Team Behind The Team

Giro d’Italia: The Team Behind The Team

By editor on May 21st, 2009

The Riders Are Off – Now What? Setting The Stage For the Rockstars: The Chef, The Mechanics, The Soigneurs

Before the riders wake up, and often times after the riders are fast asleep, supporting the rock stars on the bike are the rock star support team.

For example, Duffy, Operations Director and team Chef for Team Astana wakes up at 4:30am to prepare breakfast, post-race food, snacks, and logistical support for the day’s race which may start as late as 12 noon.

After the scramble to get the riders, mechanics, directors out the door and on the bus, Chef Duffy then packs everything away and zips off to the next hotel to setup shop for the team’s arrival.

Here, post-arrival lunch: Euro portion sizes, and good quality. Mmmm….

Portion sizes are so much smaller here in Italy than traditional Italian portions….

Here The Crew Takes A Moment To Relax Duffy and Soigneur

Soigneur and Dimitri Borysov, personal soigneur to Yaraslaw Popovich

Alan Buttler and Driver

The Multi-Talented and Mysterious Duffy shows off his mad skills on the piano

Before lunch is even over, the mechanics and soigneurs dash off to move rider and staff luggage to their rooms.

Portofino Coast, private beach of Hotel Grande Albergo

A Park behind Hotel Grande Albergo

It’s fantastically beautiful where we are staying, right on the beach of the Portofino Coast. We have our own private beach area!

Soigneurs wait for the team to arrive, room keys in hand, ready to take care of the rock stars…

Mechanics and team members at work. From left: Alain, Alex from SRAM, Mark fro Trek.

With tomorrow being a big time trial stage, the mechanics are meticulously at work with on Lance and Levi’s bikes. Because tomorrow’s time trial is a bit unusual – longer than most at 60km, and hillier – they made a decision to eschew their traditional time trial bike for modified road bikes.

Chris van Roosebroek, working on Lance’s bike.