Camp ends with Tahoe trip to scout Tour of California stages
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The girls hoping they get to take a test drive at the local BMW dealer.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Blue comes in as the bike sponsor for the new BMW presented by Happy Tooth womens team.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Riders turn to drivers at team sponsor Amain.coms RC race track.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
The team gathers for a group ride outside of Niello BMW. (Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
The girls hoping they get to take a test drive at the local BMW dealer.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
The team on display during the presentation in Sacramento. (Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Liza Rachetto comes up one of the steep Chico climbs.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Riders sprint for a sign during this mornings leadout training. (Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Robin Farina works on leadout training for the new group. (Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Elle Anderson and Rhae Shaw show how well the new team is getting along with each other. (Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Fast Forward brings its European wheel heritage to the new team.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Pace line training for today's ride. (Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
The team rolls through the Chico countryside.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
The girls gather before heading out for the day.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Korina Huizar ready to go for the morning ride.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
BMW provides the shine new team car.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
SRAM components along with Ritchey bar and stem make up the cockpit.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Elle Anderson takes a break from racing cross to spend some time on the road. (Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
The inaugural BMW p/b Happy Tooth UCI women's team wrapped up its first-ever training camp in California last week with plenty of base mile training, equipment testing and bonding time.
Under the guidance of director Jono Coulter, the team is looking forward to the new season, and with 11 riders from four different countries, preseason training and bonding is hugely important. The team benefits from the combined experience of veteran racers Robin Farina and Liza Rachetto, who played a mentor role at team camp for the younger riders.
“My personal goals for this year will always be to provide positive leadership and mentorship for the team while giving 110 percent at each race,” Farina said. “Being opportunistic always leads to either team results and my goal will be to be on the top step of the podium for our team and sponsors.
“This year's 2015 BMW p/b Happy Tooth is a breath of fresh air for me,” she continued. “Being in the peloton for a while now, it's exciting and motivating to be racing with a team of riders that are eager to win races and be part of a phenomenal team effort to transform women's cycling for the better.”
Canadian Shoshauna Routley has big ambitions coming into the 2015 season, and Coulter said she showed that she has the talent to excel at a top level. Routley said the support of a professional women's team is something new to her.
“I think I can say I’m not the only one who feels lucky to have that. It brings the team to another level of cohesion and organization, when compared to the lower level teams,” she said.
With the first of the teams' major objectives occurring in April at the Redlands Bicycle Classic and the Charlotte Criterium, Coulter believes the team will take women’s cycling by surprise in 2015.
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“In previous years of directing I have always had riders who could perform or specialize on a given stage or terrain,” Coulter said. “this year I feel we have multiple options for climbing, sprinting and those really long, hard days that make up the top schedule of races on the calendar. I cannot wait to watch them race together at events like Tour of California.”
After training camp the team traveled to Lake Tahoe to pre-ride the first two stages of the Women’s Tour of California.
The BMW p/b Happy Tooth 2015 Roster: Elle Anderson, Erica Zaveta, Robin Farina, Miranda Griffths, Korina Huizar, Michelle Khare, Liza Rachetto, Megan Rathwell, Shoshauna Routley, Rhae Shaw, Jessy Uebelhart
