In the first week of September, the best-rising talents in American cycling gathered in Southern California for a camp unlike any other. The Search for Speed’s Talent Integration Camp began with the lofty goal of searching for the next Lance Armstrong to dominate the cycling world. The camp brought together young riders for an eight-day-long immersive experience focused on track cycling. It was a prodigious opportunity for these rising talents to learn some secret tricks from a two-time Olympic medalist.

Erin Hartwell, US National Sprint Team Coach, chaired the camp with a noble vision of shaping the cycling champions of the future. BJ Olson and Rex Ainslie, who play the dual role of track coach and mechanics, joined Hartwell for the first of three such camps of the year. Sports scientist Antonio Squillante was also present to give his valuable opinion on the training methods. The camp marked the culmination of the US’s talent search program and took the initiative a step further.

Search for the next Lance Armstrong in full swing

USA Cycling launched the Search for Speed program in early February, which saw over 2000 participants vying for a spot on the team. The talent hunt ran till late June, and during this period, Hartwell and his fellow coaches identified 12 individuals with rare cycling talent. Erin Hartwell designed the Talent Integration Camp to take these athletes through all aspects of track sprint cycling.

Lance Armstrong carried the torch of American cycling in international tournaments during his long and illustrious career. Now, Hartwell hopes that he can help groom the next generation of American cycling stars through this one-of-a-kind training program. As per reports on the official USA Cycling website, the training covered an overview of track sprint cycling, the associated culture of the sport, and the physical regime that builds potential for success. The camp also dwelled heavily on the doping issue that had plagued Lance Armstrong himself.

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Lance Armstrong lost his seven Tour de France titles because of a doping scandal in 2013. Therefore, Erin Hartwell made sure that the upcoming talents of the sport were well aware of the anti-doping rules. He also instructed the participants about proper nutrition, sports science, kinesiology, basic mechanics, and much more. Hartwell was conscious of the huge task set for him and quickly ramped up the intensity of the camp.

Cycling training camp becomes more intense

Erin Hartwell observed the participants closely as they overcame the hurdles on their LOOK bikes at the VELO Sports Center. For a more intense training session, the rider traveled to the SoCal Weightlifting gym in Costa Mesa. The coach put them through a difficult set of gym sessions to build body strength. They had to conquer all the obstacles, ranging from the roller to the velodrome, to be track-certified. The participants stood tall during the test, and the coaches were happy with their performance.

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On the final day, the coaches prepared a simulated race where the participants displayed all the skills they had learned. However, they were still far from Lance Armstrong’s level, but they have another chance in the coming month. Erin Hartwell has scheduled the second reiteration of the camp on October 21, where he will check if the riders have improved from their earlier performance.