COUDVILLE-SUR-MER, France, July 1 —When one of the world's best pro cycling teams offers you the opportunity to join them at the Tour de France, you don't hesitate to say yes.
Cannondale-Drapac is one of three American teams that race at the sport's highest level, in the UCI WorldTour (the two others teams are BMC Racing and Trek-Segafredo).
Cannondale Bicycle Corp. is a bike manufacturer based in Connecticut, and Drapac Capital Partners, a brand-new co-title sponsor, is a property funds management business. The team is managed by former pro cyclist and Tour de France rider Jonathan Vaughters, a native of Colorado. The team has a lot of character, and it is known for playing the bike-racing game a little differently than its more traditional European rivals. Its aggressive strategy has led to some great victories at cycling's top races.
In announcing its Tour roster, Vaughters said: "We go into this race as a hungry mongrel of a team. But I’ll take that over a poncy, over-fed poodle any day." And in keeping within its own tradition, for this Tour, Vaughters has made a "Moneyball" bet on French climber Pierre Rolland, as VeloNews' Andrew Hood reported.
The 103rd Tour de France runs July 2-24, and Business Insider has joined Cannondale-Drapac for a little while at the race. Here's some of what we've been seeing so far:
This year's Tour de France starts on the northwest corner of France, in Normandy. The Cannondale-Drapac team have set up camp in Coudeville-sur-Mer, a commune in the Manche department. The team has one big bus for the riders and another for the bikes and all the equipment. There are also several teams cars and vans.
The riders eat every meal together. Here they sat down to a big breakfast the day before the Tour's start. They'd soon head out for a 2.5-hour ride to recon the course for stage one.
The team has its own chefs, a married couple who travel with the team year-round. They often make the riders' food in their mobile kitchen and then bring it to them, usually in the hotel. It's way better than what most hotels serve up, and it meets the riders' preferences. Today for breakfast it was made-to-order omelettes.
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