Elite Sneak Peek

• It's true that for a metropolis as vast as Chicago, cycling talent runs surprisingly thin. And so aside from a couple of 800 pound gorillas, the local scene is composed of a couple dozen clubs, most of which seem to have one or two rising stars in any given season. This dilution can lead to exciting and chaotic competition at times, but personally I prefer to watch a team (or teams) seize control of a field, and work to command the texture, pace, and (hopefully) outcome of a race. We've worked hard over the past few years to achieve this ideal, but have suffered from high turnover due to the club's relative youth. It's rewarding to see riders develop and succeed, but ultimately unrealistic for a small three year old club to assemble an elite road squad solely through natural matriculation.

  With a only pair of Cat 2s and a solitary Cat 3 returning from the 2010 campaign, I'd spent the early autumn worrying a great deal about 2011. Alex, Jesse, and John are dedicated and talented riders -- but all could just as easily jump to another team as stay with TATI. As the cyclocross season heated up, I joined in the back channel negotiations, rumor mill, and naked recruiting efforts... hoping to perhaps find a rider whose racing had stalled, or someone seeking a smaller, more collegial atmosphere. Three was too few. But would four be enough?

  As luck would have it, we ended up connecting with four additional racers, each of whom have expressed a strong interest in racing as a small, tight, and focused unit. One would have been great, and two would have meant we could do some real damage... but four strong adds is an embarrassment of riches and makes us an underdog with some bite. Team chemistry is always a difficult thing to manage and predict, but I'm cautiously optimistic that we've assembled a very potent mix of experience, wattage, anger, and skill. I'm honored to be working with such a promising lot and will do everything I can to enable the team's success.

  But why the Coppi pic, you ask? It's there only to assure those fans of the team's sartorial style that although we're about to get a heck of a lot faster, it will never be at the expense of l'air endimanché. Surely the new recruits will not disappoint, whether racing or après vélo. In fact, with this assemblage, we'll need to think much harder about proper podium attire.

  Here's the roster.

  • Alex Gilliam (2)
  • Tim Hermanas (3)
  • Ben LaForce (2)
  • Henry Loud (2)
  • Chris Padfield (2)
  • John Whipple (2)
  • Jesse Williams (3)

  And some recent marquee wins from the boys:

  • Chicago Crit
  • Cobb Park
  • Downer's Grove
  • Duluth Classic Stage Race
  • Elk Grove Crit
  • Fitchburg Crit
  • Fox Rover Grove
  • Hillsboro Roubaix
  • Hotter'N'Hell Hundred
  • Leland Kermesse
  • Monsters of the Midway
  • Notre Dame Crit
  • Proctor Crit
  • Soldier Field Crit
  • Superior Circuit Race
  • Superweek Cedarburg Crit
  • Superweek Downer Avenue
  • Superweek Evanston Crit
  • Superweek Homewood Crit
  • Superweek Lakefront RR
  • Superweek Racine Crit
  • Superweek Shorewood Crit
  • Urbana Grand Prix Crit