KBS Medifast Team at Redlands 2007

And then for the balance of the year I consulted on a number of projects and worked with teams in the attempt to line up something up for 2008.

In October of 2007, USA Cycling announced their mechanics training session held once a year in January at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. I was in. This was the ticket to moving and validating my place in the very small fraternity of the mechanics union and it would allow doors to open that might never get opened. So I contacted USA Cycling and signed up for the sessions.

A quick bio on the sessions. They are held for 4 days in January at the OTC. January folks. Anyone been to Colorado in January? It is fricken cold. Well to be specific highs were in the 30's and the lows were in the single digits at times. Anyway back to the Bio. Three full days of training offered hands on in various aspects of race mechanics and support.

My trip started at 4am on the morning of January 10th as I awoke to kiss my wife and son goodbye for a few days. I climbed into the car and was off to catch a 6:30 flight to Colorado Springs.

As we began our decent into the Springs I was overwhelmed by the majestic beauty of the Rockies. Just west of town is the famous Pikes Peak. This time of year it was covered in snow.

Pikes Peak. This was the view we awoke to every morning at the OTC.

The sessions were due to start at 12pm on the 10th and I arrived at the OTC at noon on the dot. From that moment forward we were going full speed. Day 1 started at noon and ended at 9pm with one small break for dinner at the OTC. Oh yeah all the lodging and meals were covered in the session fees. So we were eating with a number of current Olympians and future Olympians at every meal. It was an awesome experience.

Anyway back to the story. We started our sessions at noon on Thursday as a large group of 55 wrenches from all over the country. The age range was from around 17 to 70 with 2 women joining the crew as well. I have to say that I had a chance to work with both of them over the last four days and they were as sharp if not sharper then anyone of the guys at this clinic.

The main USA Cycling repair shop and the track bikes on the ceiling are from the 1984 games in Los Angeles.

The main supply room. As you can see Specialized is the main sponsor of the U23 program!

A shop in Minnesota sent 20 or so guys from their stores. There were guys from the east coast, west coast, Texas. Oregon and even Germany.

We were given a manual, schedule for the 4 days and an exam. Yep a good old fashion exam. 100 questions regarding what was covered in the sessions, what was in the manual and what is in the real world of working on bikes. We had instructors from all over the industry and I would like to take this opportunity to thank each one of them.

Dave Arnauckas - Shimano Multi-Service Supervisor
Matt Bracken - President of Independent Fabrication
Hercules Castro - SRAM Technical Training Coordinator
Chris Clinton - Promechanics.com
T.J. Grove - USA Cycling Team Mechanic U23 National Team
Mike Hall - SRM Techinical Advisor
Ric Hjertberg - FSA New Technology Manager
Calvin Jones - Park Tool Lead Mechanic
Justin Koch - USA Cycling Operations Manager
Andy Stone - Shimano Multi-Service Technician
Tom Vinson - USA Cycling National Events Manager

Each one of these gentleman brought many years of knowledge and experience to the sessions and we are all that much smarter having had the chance to work with each of them over the last few days.

Me in front of the Olympic Rings.

We started our days with a 7am breakfast and ended them with huddle sessions to work on the exam. There were many challenges to the last four days, being away from my family, trying to get any sort of sleep, and dealing with the cold.

All and all the trip was a great one. I made a lot of friends and gained alot of knowledge. In addition I earned a USA Cycling Pro Mechanics license, as well as a UCI Pro Mechanics license. The ladder will allow me to work for teams outside of the US and more importantly allow me to work the Olympics in Beijing if called to do so.

So I have to give a big shout out to some of my new friends, Hector, Julie, Ryan, Steve, Mark, Dylan and Ralf. Each of you will be great mechanics and pro's at whatever you do in your lives.

Thanks to my family for putting up with me and thanks to Justin at USA Cycling.

Brian