How do you pick a team?

In Human Powered Vehicle racing, you only have 8 riding positions.
So how do you choose the riders from 10 fit, experienced and committed guys?

Our 2008 Australian International Pedal Prix Team. Pic from Pics08 Gallery

It's just not cricket...
It's not like footy or cricket where you can miss a week or a test and be back in the team for the next game.
We only race once or twice a year at best and we spend up to 10 months building our vehicles from scratch too. There's too much riding on it to sit one out. (pun intended)

We're not in the pro-peloton
It's not like a pro cycling squad either, who can pick their teams for the Classics, Tours or One-Day races based on riders strengths and race styles.
We are all HPV racers.

History Repeating?
In the past for Bendigo Youth Racing, we've rarely had an issue of too many riders.
In fact, Wonthaggi in '07 is the only time that we can recall where one rider elected to sit out.
In most cases our teams have come together in the final few weeks when the top 8 has become kinda obvious.
At other races, we have taken members to ride who were underdone fitness-wise because we simply didn't have a fully fit eight.

With 6 weeks to go, we've got 10 - 11 guys pushing for selection:
(in alphabetical order)
- Adam 'Gavin' King
- Cal Ridge
- Daryl 'Daz' King
- Dave Maud
- Deven Pearce
- Nige Preston
- Jarrod 'Chooka' Henderson)
- Troy Hutchins
- Charles (Mark Anson)
- Matt Anson

Here's some selection models we're looking at:

• What do you think is the best method?
• What experience have you had with your teams?

1. Team Poll
   Each team member nominates their top 8 riders - either rated 1-8 or simply 8 names on a slip. The votes are tallied and the results announced. Daz suggests that people need to be "honest and ‘think of the victory" when selecting their preferred rider line-up. They should choose "the 8 quickest riders who will bring the vehicle home safely."
   
   
2. Selectors Panel
   Similar to Cricket Australia I suppose, where a group of senior team members, ex-riders and neutral team friends choose the 8. "It's tough to do this way because you are choosing between friends and we're all deeply committed mates who have put in loads of work. It could be very personally scaring."
   
   
3. Ride-Off
   Either in a vehicle, on a road bike or on a wind-trainer, each rider is subjected to individual tests. Best 8 times get the places.
   "I don't really want to have one hour time trials in the race vehicle, because it will just end up on it's lid." BYR President Jarrod Henderson explained.
   
4. Self-Select
   We could simply wait until the final few weeks of our lead-up and those who are illness and injury free would either 'self-select' or 'self-omit'.

So, there's a few models we could use to pick our team.

• What do you think is the best method?
• What experience have you had with your teams?

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A training ride with a difference: Humevale post-Black Saturday

On Saturday, Adam and I embarked on our now traditional weekend ride together.

But this week, instead of aiming for Mordialloc and the bay views along Beach Rd, we headed north toward Whittlesea and on to Humevale. This was a training ride with a difference as we headed up a climb through the burnt out hills just past Humevale.

It was black & quiet with ash and soot all over the road. The road itself had melted in some parts from the incredible heat that would've been like a furnace on that Black Saturday a month ago.

It was emotionally intense as we began to imagine the terror that would've been felt by the people living in this area - which mind you, is still 50 kilometres from Yea and much of the rest of the firefront. We rode past scrap pieces of tin and ash - the only remnants of what we could only guess were houses.

We had to turn around before the top as Parks Victoria workers were cutting down many of the trees which will continue to pose a threat of falling over.

This area has been "washed away by fire" Adam said as we rolled back down, "That's the only way I can describe it. It's usually quiet here anyway - just the bike and your breathing. But now it's all amplified."


You can watch it on the news and read it in the papers, but to see it with our own eyes takes it to another level. You may recall that we dug deep to support a friend and BYR racer, Shelly Flood, whose place in Bendigo was completely destroyed. Our thoughts go out to all who are piecing things back together from Humevale to Bendigo.

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