5.23.08
TEAM PREVIEW: ROCK RACING
May
23,
2008: Spend
even just a few minutes talking bike racing with
Michael Ball, and it’s clear the Rock Racing
team owner is as passionate as they come. The man
behind the Southern California-based Rock &
Republic high-fashion label has brought that same
marketing savvy and flair to his upstart cycling
team. The squad has earned a reputation as cycling’s
new bad boys, sporting menacing black uniforms,
and rolling up to races in Cadillacs with tinted
windows.
But Rock Racing is about much
more than stylish team kits and luxury support cars.
This squad has some serious horsepower that has
already made its mark on the 2008 season. Among
the highlights are Colombian Santiago Botero’s
dominant overall win at the Redlands Classic stage
race, Rahsaan Bahati’s triumph at the renowned
Athens Twilight criterium, and a stunning 1-2-3-4
performance in the prologue of May’s Tour
of Colombia.
“We are definitely rolling
really well right now,” said American fan
favorite Freddie Rodriguez, who will serve as Rock
Racing’s team leader during June’s Commerce
Bank Triple Crown of Cycling. “The Philadelphia
week races are really important for me and the team,
and I think we’ll have a really strong team
that will be able to have a major impact.”
Besides Rodriguez and Botero,
Rock Racing’s Triple Crown roster includes
2004 Olympic champion Tyler Hamilton, Spanish climbing
sensation Oscar Sevilla, Colombian Tour de France
veteran Victor Hugo Peña, and American strongmen
Michael Creed, Kayle Leogrande and Doug Ollerenshaw.
Any of these riders could be a factor during the
first week of June, but Rodriguez will be the man
to watch. During his illustrious career, the Northern
Californian sprinting specialist has four Triple
Crown triumphs, including the 2001 USPro Championship,
precursor to June 8’s Philadelphia International
Championship.
“As long as there isn’t
a huge mountain to climb, I feel like I can be there
at the end of any race,” said Rodriguez, whose
other Triple Crown wins came in Lancaster in 1995
and Trenton in 2000 and 2004. “I’ve
had a lot of great success at Philly week, so for
me it’s always a very exciting time. My family
is always there and the crowds are amazing.”
Rodriguez’s recipe for
success this year will be to unleash as much pain
as possible on his competitors.
“The harder the race
is the better it is for me,” he said. “If
it’s full-gas all day the other sprinters
will get worn down. I’ll be tired too, but
I always feel like I can stand up to it a little
better than the next guy.”
Rodriguez’s confidence
can be traced to a long and successful tenure racing
primarily in Europe. Among his biggest triumphs
was a stage win at the Giro d’Italia and podium
finishes at the Milan-San Remo and Ghent-Wevelgem
spring classics. Rodriguez also served as top lead-out
lieutenant for some of the sport’s most famous
sprinters, including Australian star and Tour de
France green jersey winner Robbie McEwen.
For 2008, Rodriguez opted
to return to the U.S. and join forces with Rock
Racing. So far so good.
“I’m really loving
it,” he said. “It’s been a really
positive change of pace. The idea for me to come
back and sign with Rock Racing was that I would
be helping grow a new program. Michael Ball has
been putting in a huge effort. I’ve never
seen an owner put so much time into growing a team.
The energy he brings is really amazing and I think
all the guys thrive off that. The support we have
is also really high. That makes it a lot easier
for me to come back and do this. The idea is to
grow this into one of the top teams in the world.”
Team owner Ball’s plans
go far beyond just his team, though. The former
top-flight amateur track cycling racer wants to
elevate the entire sport. His goals include promoting
professional cycling to help it gain greater traction
among mainstream media and sports fans, and drawing
in new sponsors and increased television coverage.
“Cycling is a beautiful
sport,” he said. “My goal is to share
that message with the whole world.”
If Ball’s success in
the fashion world is any indication, that message
will be heard loud and clear.
Source:
Pro Cycling Tour
