Expectations of nominees: Tom expects total commitment from nominees: hard work, focus, and willingness to dedicate 100% to the goal. As Chef d'Equipe he will be looking for nominees willing to extend their efforts the extra 2% - that will make the difference between 'good' and 'best' performances.

2006 WEC Staff

Staff and riders gathered during lunch on Saturday for continued discussion of goals and obligations, and for an overview of the course in Aachen Germany. Tom presented slides of the trail (taken during a run prior to the 2005 pre-ride). He ran through a series of slides for each loop illustrating the footing and terrain that would be encountered. During the slide presentation staff and riders discussed topics pertinent to the trail.

Much of the course will be asphalt, gravel roads and hard packed forest roads (built up with sand and rock for year-round access). Some trails and paths, and potentially some fields and roadside berms - but much of the dirt/grass sections would depend upon conditions during the ride - if it rains, most of the course will be routed onto the gravel and hard pack, if there is a dry spell access to road berms and fields may be possible. Bottom line: it will be a predominantly concussive course.

After the Aachen course discussion, Tom presented a series of slides to illustrate pacing. He had charted graphs of riding time during each loop from several competitive FEI 100 mile rides from 2005: Arabian Nights, Aachen pre-ride and North American Championship. The graphs illustrated the differences in pacing (km/hr progress) between the top 10 or 20 finishers in each competition. Some riders started fast, reached peak speed early, and rode progressively slower until completion. Some maintained a slower, steadier pace during the first half and then rode progressively faster until completion. Some kept a steady pace throughout, and a few rode their fastest during the last 10 or 20 kms. Tom made it clear that as Chef d'Equip he would be looking for riders that understand - and can demonstrate - optimum pacing. Barring inherent course factors such as terrain (there would be little in the way of terrain extreme in Aachen) and weather (the potential for afternoon heat and humidity) the riders must be able to implement optimum pacing strategy - the most efficient utilization of energy.

After the talks, most of us felt the excitement of the goal. The discussion and images of the course, the focus on the essentials of pacing, two days of riding instruction, hands-on shoeing analysis, nutritional analysis - all tangible elements of the path to optimum performance!

Endurance Net will continue to follow the progress of Team USA during the months leading up to the 2006 World Endurance Championship

2006 Observation Trials: