Professional road cyclists were once self-sustaining athletes. Vehicle support wasn't allowed in races like the Tour de France unless via unscrupulous means. Catching a rider getting assistance from a car meant disqualification.
Much has changed. With various other company relationships for bicycles, helmets, sunglasses and energy food, vehicle sponsorship is as much part of a team as its riders.
The Rally Cycling Team supports its men's and women's team with 2019 Acura RDX sport utility vehicles. Images courtesy of Sam Wiebe/Rally Cycling Team.
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It's opening day at the Rally Cycling Team training camp and time for a laugh.
A group of Rally Cycling Team riders with an Acura RDX support vehicle in the background.
Lots of storage space is needed for a cycling team and the Acura RDX has it.
2109 Acura RDX in front of a team house during its training in Oxnard, California.
Andrew Bajadali, one of Rally Cycling's directors.
The Acura RDX is ideal for carrying riders' bikes.
Race organizers rely on manufacturer vehicles to keep the race intact and safe as it progresses along country roads and into mountain ranges.
Andrew Bajadali, a former pro cycling and director with the Rally Cycling Team, is our guest this week on Episode #119 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. We discuss how pro cycling teams rely on team vehicles to assist their riders.
Co-host James Raia talks with Bajadali from the passenger seat of a 2019 Acura RDX during the opening day of the team's training camp in Oxnard, California. Bruce Aldrich, the broadcast's other co-host, produced the episode from Sacramento.
During more than a four-hour team ride along the Pacific Coast Highways and into the surrounding foothills, Bajadali and I discuss the learning curve of the transition of a pro career into a director's role. It includes learning from other directors the ins-and-outs driving during races that may 150 cyclists and several-dozen team cars
“A team car is really there to support in all ways,” said Bajadali. “I don’t know if people who don’t know the ins-and-outs of the sport know how important it is to have a car there. It’s a major luxury.”
Unlike cycling teams of yesteryear that relied on panel vans or mini cars with questionable reliability, most current teams opt for all-wheel drive wagons or SUVs. One now-defunct team in recent years had two Porsche Panamera sports cars as support vehicles. It didn’t go well.
During training and races, team vehicles transport extra bikes, wheels, various equipment, food, water and medical equipment. If a race includes 20 teams, 40 team vehicles, plus official race vehicles, all advance along the route in an ever-changing processional that also may include 150 riders. Every team’s vehicles are detailed in team colors and have signage for its sponsors.
A road race may advance smoothly for hours on a long, open road. But chaos can occur in an instant after a crash. Team cars require skilled drivers, usually former pro cyclists, who negotiate winding roads often at high speeds to assist riders.
“Basically, you’re just always learning,” said Bajadali who first drove a team car in the early season Dubai Tour. “It was amazing just to see a race on that level. You learn a lot. It was my first day driving solo. You’re just working your way up in understanding. A few years into it, you find your groove and your way of doing things. You just have to get in there and get your hands dirty.”
If a cyclist needs a new bike or medical assistance,
