In preparation for the 2009 season, all members of Team Vitesse have gathered in the small rural community of Smoky Lake, Alberta away from the prying eyes of a voracious press. The Team's headquarters is a used recreational vehicle in the parking lot of the luxurious Smoky Lake Motor Hotel on Highway 28. Management and a technician from Happy Lucky 88 Manufactory are in attendance to conduct fitness examinations, cockle testing, and equipment fittings. The sound of the jig saw and the unmistakable rasping of sand paper fill the parking lot at the hotel as the technician spends days tweaking each Prosperous Contented Obstruction Blocking for individual riders. Team members are impressed and thankful for the wind blocking qualities of the ferring especially since the daytime temperature has hovered around minus 28 degrees C for much of the training camp. "The 6 to 8 hour training rides are much more enjoyable when riding behind a layer of insulating plywood" said one of the riders. Team building exercises for the 2009 version of Team Vitesse included putting together a 5,000 piece puzzle picturing the 14 turns of Alpe D'Huez and a quick rousing water polo game in frozen Smoky Lake. "Nothing is as effective for fostering team spirit than sleeping outdoors in tents at minus 30 degrees!" exclaimed Johan from his villa at Lake Como. Management is confident that Team Vitesse will be prepared for any weather having trained in such extreme conditions. However, cockle testing has proven to be more difficult and time consuming due to extreme shrinkage.
1 comment:
There is something magical about the training camp photo. It is as if the Vistessemobile is floating, and has an otherworldly light in that bleak parking lot. I'm convinced this is evidence of a divine presence associated with the team. We really must update the sheets in the windows to fake plywood Venetians though.
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