Fincycling season 2014 in a nutshell
First season for Fincycling is now behind. A first year is often a year of learning, both for the cyclists and the staff. And this was exactly what the first year was for Fincycling as well, learning by doing. And there was a lot of doing.
The goal for the first year was to teach how to act as a team, not just on the bike but off the bike as well. Taking responsibility. Another important aspect was to share knowledge and support from the experienced staff, Kjell Carlström, Charly Wegelius, Jussi Veikkanen, Joona Laukka, Marko Vauhkonen just to name a few. Training camps were organized and the cyclists had full support from the big names throughout the season, in races and off the bike.
It is always hard to tell whether a year is a success or not. But for Fincycling one can say it was a successful first year. The team received significant coverage on Eurosport and was noticed both on Cyclingnews.com and in significant cycling countries worldwide, especially in Europe.
Click to open the video on Eurosport.com (begins at 39:40)
The team was even able to support not just young boys, but girls as well, in a couple of races during the season. A good example of this was the Heroes of Tomorrow race in Norway where Fincycling had a team consisting of 4 girls.
Joona Laukka with the 4 girl strong team
Fincycling 2014 in numbers
- 23 cyclist rode in the Fincycling team
- 29 000 km of traveling
- 11 countries
- 61 days of travel
- 15 360 km of racing
- 13 races including 30 days of racing in total
What also needs to be mentioned is that 3 riders received significant attention in Europe and some are heading abroad next year. This is probably the best proof of a job well done. These guys have a lot more to prove, many more miles to ride, harder and faster than ever, being more clever than the competition. But they are on their way, and that's what's important, being on the right track.
Picture from fincycling.com
More of Fincycling, news, people and next year will be covered withing the next month. There are a lot to tell.
It has been a great year, being able to follow such a great project so close, to meet great people and see the young guys ride according to a plan and develop. I have learned a lot myself, and this project has inspired me as well. I am also impressed by the passion put on this project. Kjell Carlström and Charly Wegelius have attended training camps, sharing their knowledge and acted as directeur sportifs for Fincycling despite their busy calendars.
The organizing and managing of the project has also impressed me, Juho Suikkari and Marko Vauhkonen has put a lot of their energy to this project. Kadri-Ann "Kati" Õunap should neihter be forgotten. She has been close to the team during the whole season, taking care of the whole team in and outside races. Of course there are many more names behind as well, and each one has an important role, but the effort put on this, especially by Marko Vauhkonen is something I've personally never seen in my life before. You talk passion to cycling giving it your all, you talk about Marko.
Until next time, have a good one!