RE: Unofficial WEG Team

["Lynch, Mike" <mlynch@chw.edu>]

I absolutely agree with Teddy.  I have a background in bicycle road racing.
Even though you are on the bike by yourself, pushing the pedals by yourself,
working past the pain by yourself, almost everything you do when you are in
a pack of riders or out in front can affect your team mates.  The teamwork
that 3-5 riders have is unbelievable.  If one you your team mates is better
in the hills or the flats, all of you can work together to put that rider in
a position to perform under the best circumstances.  

The same can be said for endurance riding.   For example, if two horses are
traveling great together it might be necessary to hold one back in a Vet
Check if one comes down slower than the other.  Remember Kansas at the last
Vet Check.  Larry's strategy was superb.  Remember North Americans at
Arizona.  Tony kept Chris and Marcia together and the won.

This is just the "tip of the iceburg".  Teamwork in an individual sport, for
those that have not competed seriously, is not understood or appreciated.

Mike Lynch


> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Teddy Lancaster [SMTP:Teddy@runningbear.com]
> Sent:	Thursday, October 15, 1998 7:56 AM
> To:	Carlos Crespo
> Cc:	Ridecamp; Kat Swigart
> Subject:	Re: Unofficial WEG Team
> 
> 
> Carlos writes:
> 
> 
> 
> > Endurance is not a team sport where each member has to learn to
> > play with all the others in order to be successful, as you would in
> > basketball, etc. It is an individual sport where , at the end, you
> add-up
> > the individual performance of each rider. There is really very little
> > one rider can do to help another rider succeed. They each have
> > to ride their own race. Even the believe that riding together the
> > horses motivate each other is hard to accept since the horse rider
> > teams come from different parts of the country and most probably
> > have never ridden together.
> >
> 
> Ah, but this is where you are wrong.  The WEC IS a
> team competition FIRST and that is our goal...to
> send the best TEAM!!!
> 
> It IS possible to ride as a team...the French do
> it and do it well.  There is MUCH strategy that we
> have not taken from others sports (yet) thant CAN
> and DO make a difference in the outcome.  We have
> MUCH to learn about being team players.  I assure
> you, Rick Stewart is going to be his best (with
> the support of many) to make this years' WEG a
> TEAM effort to win the TEAM gold (which the USA
> has never done - excpet fo Kansas -whole 'nother
> story).  It takes cooperation among riders...hard
> to accomplish since we don't have the experience
> (or present mindset due to our "normal" way of
> competing here). We will be asking ALL crews to
> work for ALL riders as well as asking ALL riders
> to obey the orders of the Chef 'd Equip.  A tough
> job, no matter how you look at it.
> 
> Teddy
>