After the conclusion of the training camp on the Balearic island of Mallorca, Phonak's new team manager John Lelangue expressed his satisfaction with his riders on the team's website. "The current form of the team is very good. In some cases it is already at top level," he said.
The Phonak training camp was located 12 kilometres from the centre of Palma. "We trained in two groups," Lelangue said. "The first formation included the riders who will be lining up for the Qatar Tour and the Classics. Riders whose initial targets are on the programme for April, May and June did their preparatory work in the second formation."
The Belgian put a particular emphasis on the dialogue with his riders. "The management crew held individual discussions with all 24 riders. Those meetings allowed personal wishes to be aired and priorities to be set. We for our part will try to take these into account as much as we possibly can," he said.
As the "new" Phonak team for 2005 counts three directeurs sportifs, Lelangue made it clear that hierarchy had been levelled out. "The three directeurs sportifs have equal authority and have significantly more say than was previously the case. There is no longer a permanently assigned racing group. Anyone can swap opinions and ideas with anyone else," he explained.
