Goals and Expectations

At our December 2013 team camp we spent time talking about team goals and expectations.  A day after the 2014 USA Cycling Junior Time Trial National Championships and on the eve of the final day of racing in the criterium, I wanted to share this publicly.  We talked about it again tonight and it’s healthy to keep this perspective whether you are on our team or not.  With such a high turnover in our sport its important to share tips to help keep the rider numbers up.

While we have goals to win certain races, we do not expect to win.  We expect best efforts and that we learn from every race, but we do not expect to win.

This is not to say that teammates don’t put pressure on themselves, or that they don’t feel pressure from others (we tend to have a pretty big target on our backs), it’s just a reminder that this is our hobby, that we’re not saving lives here and winning a national championship, while bringing a very good feeling to you, your teammates, and your supporters should not change the person that you are.  Driven to improve, having some fun along the way and setting some lofty goals that you hope to reach... but not expected to.  These are some of the things that make our sport so wonderful!

Larry Nolan, Team Specialized Junior Director