Ten days away from the start of the 2011 USA Cycling Junior Road National Championships in Augusta, Georgia. Fourteen teammates in total and we’re highlighting our 5th athlete in this blog.
Dean Haas (racing age 17), hometown: Lakewood, CO, 1st year with Team Specialized
Dean caught everyone’s attention when he pulled in the fastest climbs at the USA Cycling National Camp in October 2010. USA Cycling coaches use these two tests to gauge a riders development and to peg them with a power to weight ratio (at this one a point in time). Thankfully Dean had already caught the attention of Team Specialized masters teammate Billy Innes while Billy was directing the USA Cycling National Team in Belgium during the summer of 2010. We invited Dean to join our team. He's been a solid addition to our squad.
Similar to a professional team our juniors may not have a teammate to ride and race with. Unfortunately, Dean is about a thousand miles away from his teammates. This fact tests the motivation of a teammate and forces one to change and adapt to new routines. Think about that for a minute. Would you put in as many miles as you do today if your favorite ride or best friend just wasn’t there for you? Would you start up a new ride? Move on to new friends?
Dean spent a little over two weeks racing in Europe in May 2011 with the USA Cycling National Program and learned just how passionate (and fast) the Europeans are. It’s been fun for me to see his confidence and drive return. I'm confident that he’ll be a threat in the road race and criterium in Augusta.
Good luck in Augusta Dean Haas! Cheers, Larry Nolan, Team Specialized Director
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