Every year I look forward to the three weeks in July when I can watch nothing but cycling all day long. The morning coverage to see it live, the afternoon coverage to make sure I didn't miss anything, and the evening coverage to here Bobke's take on the Tour. This year was a bit more exciting than the last few with both the drama on and off the road. No matter what side you were on, or who you were rooting for, the stories made for more coverage, and more coverage is good for cycling. My friends and family who don't keep up with cycling or the Tour would ask many everyday for updates on Lance, or about whatever they heard on the news or the headline the read online. Aside from the drama though, one aspect of cycling seems to always come up because they never quite get it. Team work. News stories and headlines always talk about the teams, but video clips and highlights usually show the final 200 meters of the sprint, or last 500 meters of a mountain top finish, where individuals are fighting for stage wins and glory.  They never seem to show all the work that happens before that. To the casual observer, cycling is more of an individual sport, but to the true fans and us weekend warriors, it is always more about the team.

This year's Tour gave some excellent examples of team work, both good and bad. Astana dominated the headlines with LA and AC both being portrayed as potential leaders of the team. While one can only speculate what was going on behind the scenes, what played out on the road showed a team that wasn't totally unified. Regardless of who you were cheering for, the issues hurt the team and may have cost Astana a podium sweep. AC was easily the strongest rider and deserved the win, but Astana was probably the most unhappy team to win the jersey in many years. It is a shame to win the biggest race in the world and not be able to celebrate it fully.  Strong riders don't always make strong teams....

Columbia was another example of team work. Their lead out train was unbelievable and unbeatable. Cavendish may be the fastest man on two wheels, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have a team full of supporting cyclist willing to bury themselves to give you the perfect leadout. Six stage wins and maybe only one of them was even a close finish. On the Champs Elysees no one was else was even on my TV screen. Despite all this Thor Hushovd used consistent finishes and some aggressive riding on the mountain stages to win the green jersey. The fastest rider doesn't always win....

Garmin, always the bride's maid, never the bride. Garmin had a great tour, but consistently came away empty handed. They did show that they have some future potential with Tyler Farrar and Bradley Wiggins. What I really loved about Garmin though was the interviews. After Vandevelde got dropped in the first mountain stages and was asked about his chances in the rest of the tour, he immediately began talking about Wiggins, how great he looked on the road that day, what a great ride he had put in. With a smile on his face and almost school boy excitement he talked about how Wiggins was clearly the strongest rider and he would be happy to ride in support of him. He had no problem putting any of his Tour aspirations aside and riding for his teammate. No one person's goal is more important than the team's goal....

Every team in the tour had stories and examples we can draw from, but what about our own WCCRT?  I have probably told this story before, but I like it, so you get to read it again. A few years ago I started my road cycling career. I began riding what some would call “seriously” and thought it would be fun to try a race. I started riding seriously in May, the race was in August. I already knew how to ride a bike, so that should give me plenty of time to get ready for the race. I had done some rides on the soutwest side of town, but had yet to join a club or a race team.  I then moved up to The Woodlands in July and decided to join the WCC. I road one Tuesday night ride before my first race, the Bear Creek Crit on Sunday. Back then (“back then” helps make me sound older and wiser) the Tuesday night ride was the Lake Forest short loops. I think the pain caused me to block most of that ride from my memory, but I do remember KB introducing himself, pointing out some of the other riders, who to watch and who to watch out for. And giving me tips and what to expect on the ride. I showed up to Bear Creek on Sunday, not really knowing anyone. I saw KB, he took me to the team set-up, introduced me around. Shawn Harris had agreed to loan me a team jersey. Everyone there was happy to offer me drinks, snacks or advice. I even got some pointers on how to pin my number on. During the race I was mostly killing myself just to hang on to the back of the pack, but every time I passed by the team corner I could hear the shouts of encouragement. Most of them probably had forgotten my name, but I was wearing the green and blue and that was easy to recognize. It wasn't long till I got dropped and was riding the loop solo. Coach Joe was shouting advice every lap, I remember seeing him yelling, but couldn't tell you a word he said. All I could hear was my labored breathing and my pulse pounding in my head. After the race finished it was a slow ride back around to the team area. Getting dropped and finishing somewhere near last didn't really motivate me to go back to the set-up, but my stuff was over there, so I had no choice. When I got there it was nothing but support. Congratulating me on finishing my first race and encouraging me to come out to more team rides and get ready for the next one. Being part of the team wasn't about me, it was about we....

While it's not very often that we get to use all the tactics and strategy out on the road and in the races that the pro teams do, we still have all the benefits of being on a team. On any given week there are around eight rides posted on the calendar where I can go out and ride with friends and teammates. And if none of those work for me, a simple post or an email often finds several more willing participants to join me for a ride that fits my schedule. If I have a question about training with power, I know I can post it to the forum, make a phone call, or send out an email and get a helpful reply. Want to improve your TT skills, there are people who can help. Need to borrow a packet of gu, a jersey, a set of wheels, I bet you can find someone to lend them to you. Need advice on equipment, or help with a repair, you can get that too. To the average person, we might just be individuals out riding our bikes together, but in reality we are something much bigger and stronger than that. We are a team.

“Individually we are one drop, together we are an ocean.”

Satoro