InCycle/Time To Track presented by Empower Coaching Systems is the newest women’s development cycling team in the USA.
Southern Californian veteran riders Dotsie Bausch and Pam Schuster bring their considerable racing experience to teach young and aspiring cyclists the tactical sport of professional cycling. Bausch is a six-time national champion and a Pan American Championships gold medal winner, who's been racing with the US national team since 2002. Schuster made a name for herself while racing for teams Timex and Autotrader.com.
“Our whole motto is to walk the talk,” said Bausch. “It’s people who make a difference in each others’ lives. We stand behind our riders in the pursuit of their cycling goals and we want our girls to do the same for new female riders. It is the only way for women’s cycling to grow.”
According to Bausch, the team aims to raise the next generation of women cyclists to be strong and powerful on and off the bike and tactically sound, technically savvy, humble and caring doers who make smart race decisions and who want to pass on the torch to the next up and comers and do the same for them.
“This has been a dream of mine ever since I had the amazing support and mentorship of Team Earthlink when I first started out,” Bausch said. “I knew I was lucky because all I had to do was look around and see that there was not this kind of support and tactical mentorship on the other amateur teams.”
The eight-woman team includes Katie Donovan, Priscilla Calderon, Beatriz Rodriguez, Steph Roorda, Lee Adams, Bonnie Breeze and co-captains Bausch and Schuster. Although the team is dedicated to developing Southern California’s athletes, it is not exclusive to the golden state.
“We have a Canadian on the team this year too,” Bausch said. “We are striving to grow California based riders because it’s our backyard, but we see this program developing into possibly national and global over the next three years or more.”
Schuster and Bausch have their own strategy to direct the team by racing with them, instead of instructing from the team car. Bausch was inspired by her former cycling colleague Susy Pryde who worked with the Jazz Apple Women’s Team in a similar form of development.
“The model of racing and mentoring on the bike as that is really from the Susy Pryde book of how to make the next greats for the sport,” Bausch said. “Tactical plans, teaching the various scenarios that can happen in a race. Many of the amateur teams around the country are a team that spawned from a big cycling club or a bike shop who wants a local presence on the race scene, and then its just like 'go race and get results' and the girls have absolutely no idea what they are doing. They are strong as all hell, but they are clueless which is both dangerous and does not prepare them for bigger professional teams or for Europe.
“The girls from our team like Katie Donovan and Beatriz Rodriguez who want to do many of these bigger NRC races will go on to these teams to race the bigger stuff. We don't have the money yet to be flying girls all over the country to race. I love that passionate females can make a team happen on such a shoestring budget and make an impact. The guys could never do it.”
InCycle/Time To Track presented by Empower Coaching Systems team will focus on the SoCal Cup Series, state and national championship races. They will also participate in several National Racing Calendar (NRC) events, including the Redlands Bicycle Classic, Tour of the Gila, Cascade Cycling Classic and US Nationals.
The team's list of sponsors includes InCycle Bicycles, Time To Track, Empower Coaching Systems, Champion Systems, Amgen Cycling Club, EPIC Performance Hydration & Recovery Drinks, Selle Italia Bicycle Saddles, SpiderTech, Smith Sunglasses, Hibiscus Sunglasses, Sequoia Technology Group and Great Scott P.R.oductions.