Riders settle in and sign team's mission statement
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Christian Vande Velde relaxing(Image credit: Lucas Gilman)
Tom Danielson gets ready for the ride on his new Cervelo(Image credit: Lucas Gilman)
Making a splash: A rider jumps into the water(Image credit: Lucas Gilman)
A stringray drifts by the Garmin-Cervelo boat(Image credit: Lucas Gilman)
Riders had a chance to mix with the wildlife(Image credit: Lucas Gilman)
(Image credit: Lucas Gilman)
(Image credit: Lucas Gilman)
Picture perfect: the perfect setting for a team get-together(Image credit: Lucas Gilman)
Riders head out on jet skis(Image credit: Lucas Gilman)
Tyler Farrar tuck into some lunch(Image credit: Lucas Gilman)
Jonathan Vaughters speaks to the team and makes clear his stance on doping(Image credit: Lucas Gilman)
Garmin-Cervélo enjoyed the first day of their training camp in the Cayman Islands on Monday. The hybrid squad formed off the back of the Garmin-Transitions and Cervélo teams enjoyed a boat cruise and a dip in the sea after their first orientation meeting and 70 kilometre training ride.
For the likes of Thor Hushovd and Heinrich Haussler it was the first opportunity to meet with their new teammates, while riders like of David Millar and Christian Vande Velde enjoyed their third annual winter get-together, having been with the team since 2008.
While the mood was relaxed, there were some pressing matters to attend to with all of the riders asked to sign the team's mission statement.
Garmin and Cervélo are both vocal anti-doping teams and this shared view looks set to continue.
"It was all standard stuff. Everyone heard our team mission statement and we had them sign off on the anti-doping policy. Don Catlin will come to our camp in January but this was just everyone seeing the policy and signing off on it," Jonathan Vaughters told Cyclingnews.
"It basically says that you can't take any supplements unless they're approved by the team; that the riders can be tested 24/7 and the last part stresses our no needle policy and says that no injections or infusions of any kind can be permitted at any time or in any location. You can't inject yourself or have anyone inject you, period."
The camp goes on for another week with the riders set to make the most of the hospitality on offer from the Cayman tourist board, with scuba diving organised, along with an exhibition race on Friday.
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"Tonight we've got a cocktail party with some of the sponsors and Gerard Vroomen gets in tomorrow," Vaughters added.
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
