Team Valentino & Partners

[sebici]

Hi everyone!

I’m very pleased to announce the formation of a new cycling team based in Tokyo, called Team Valentino & Partners, Team "V&P".

The team will posses truly unique features, in addition to long term goals unlike any other current amateur team in Japan.

Team membership is open to all serious amateur cyclists (Japanese & of course non-Japanese) with racing experience in Japan, but membership will be limited to 25 for it's first year. Cyclists who are interested should contact me as soon as conveniently possible.

A press release and web-site is currently being put together, but for the time-being, please have a look at this site.

http://www.geocities.jp/bikehiroad/080204teamVP/index.html

Happy and healthy 2008 to everyone!
Valentino

 

[Edogawakikkoman]

Good luck.
Looks very impressive.
The Bridgestone guys are doing something similar. They may be interested in helping. There are some people there with the same aspirations and commitment.

They will definitely try and poach your best riders if they are doing well...so may as well try and work together.

Hope to see your team winning...I'll tell my guys to draft behind your guys in future....

 

[Deej]

Exciting news

Thanks for the notice and congratulations, Valentino. This is a boon for the Japanese cycling community, and you have clearly worked hard to turn this into a reality.

If only I were 10-15 years younger, I would be thrusting my hand in the air and shouting, "Me! Pick me!" But as a 37-year-old salaryman father of two young kids -- and all the attendant time restrictions -- the best I can do is lend you my enthusiastic support.

I'll certainly let my faster, younger friends know about your team, though.

Hope to ride with you this year -- and I hope your recovery is coming along well.

Very best,
Deej

P.S. Nice looking kit!

 

[chazzer]

Good luck with this - I am even more unlikely racer candidate than Deej by a long way ! However I know Hiro Aoyama very well and I wish you all well with the team. Hiro built my bike when he was at Y's and now he has his own business in SportsBikes Hi Road which I thoroughly recommend. Keep us posted !

Charles

 

[sebici]

Thank you!

Much obliged for your kindest and much needed encouragement guys; I can use all I can get! I think it's the perfect timing for something like this in Japan.

Regarding age, I am not fussed by it at all as I am 42 and am also balancing a career with all of this. But the inspiration came from the fact that I was an unhappy amateur competitor who saw opportunity to improve things for myself and others above and beyond just the usual club jersey and the occasional "team" ride. I really empathise with you guys and I would love to see you at the races sometime

If you do know riders at any age that have a little talent and lot's of will...by all means, yes please let them know about my team ASAP.

Hiro is a great guy isn't he Charles?! He's fantastic at what he does and he happens to be one of the kindest, most trustworthy people anyone could know; not many around like him so I do hope his new shop "Hi-Road" will do well...he deserves it. Hiro told me today that he's just become a retailer for the new iBike power meter in Japan. The wire version will sell for approx 70,000JPY and the wireless for 100,000JPY. Considering that is for a fairly accurate power meter, then it is a strong buy for people who want to benefit from power technology but dont want to shell out almost 4 grand for SRM or less for a PowerTap. I beleive in suporting each other in all our endeavours and will have my team members buy their power meters from his shop if he can swing a good deal that can benefit everyone.

Regarding the Bridgestone team; I thought they were professional and thus very different from what my team is doing; if what you are talking about is Bridgestone-Anchor. In any case, I would be glad to accept the help from anyone or any other team that would be interested in collaborating for the benefit of the cyclists I am trying to reach, but if anyone would want to poach people from my team in the future, then they can have them as there will never be anything I can do about people who would want to leave; it's a free world.

I've done my homework and I can guarantee that no one has anything like this at the moment, and that, unique to any other team including bridgestone is my relationship with Chris Carmichael. We are the only team to officially have him as coach, and there is nothing like him. More than the latest gadgets and any epo, nothing will benefit talented young riders and make them ride faster for longer than solid coaching, good diet&lifestyle (which is where coaching comes in again) a positive environment/team, and the occasional massage. All of this I can now gladly offer to any athlete at any age that aspires to acheive their best results and optimal enjoyment out of the sport and themselves.

Warm regards
Valentino

 

[sebici]

riding together...

By the way guys...I will definitely be appreciating the occassional fun ride with great people from time to time and not just having my tongue licking the stem as usual...so yes please...I would be delighted to ride together sometime!

All the best
Valentino

 

[smoke]

want to join

Sebici,
I am very interested in being part of this team I am currently living in Okinawa and race on a constant basis. I was primarily a roa d rider but also do tri and running races on a regular basis. I have not been on a real team for a while and raced as a Cat 3 in the US. We have orders up the mainland and look to racing and riding on the Kanto Plain I want race in JCF and work on my Cat up to 1 in the states. On Tri's I do mostly Olympic distance up to half Ironman, 5k, 10k, and 22k are my distances on the run. I look forward to hearing from you soon and being on workiing on the team.
Stokes

 

[sebici]

Joining the team

Hello Stokes

Thank you for your interest in my new team. We'd be delighted to know more about you.

Please help me with these initial questions to get us started; point form, brief answers are fine.

- How long have you been in Okinawa and how long do you plan on being
here? Are you in the service? If so, what do you do?
- We'll be doing events in Okinawa too (such as the Tour of Okinawa 200km
race) but how often do you anticipate being anywhere near Tokyo or in the
main kanto plain?
- Please tell me your age, height and weight.
- Have you raced in any JCF sanctioned races in Japan? If so, please specify
races and your results. Please also specify your Tri results to date.
- How long were you a cat III in the US?
- When was your last cat III race?
- Which team/club did you belong to while racing cat III in the US?
- How did you place at various Cat III events; what type of events were they
and where did you compete?
- Have you ever trained with a power meter before?

Answers to these questions will help us very much initially, and we'll then move to the next step regarding your racing aspirations (balancing the possible with the impossible) and your measurements for the team uniform, etc.

Look forward to hearing from you soon Stokes.

Regards
Val

 

[smoke]

email

Hey Sebici
I can send you all my results (on a excel spreadsheet) from 2003 to present and the other info Is there an email I can send it to instead of the Tokyo Cycle BBS? I will answer all you questions ASAP
Stokes

 

[Philip]

Private Message Function

FYI Smoke & Sebici,

Top right > click 'Private Messages'

This function allows you to share messages and send files privately between each other - you do not even need to share your personal email addresses

Cheers,

Philip

 

[sebici]

Team V&P

No worries Stokes, I can be contacted at;


I look foreard to hearing from you and appreciate you taking the time to help me with this information.

Philip; many thanks for the private message advise! I didn't know that either and it was helpul.

Look forward to seeing you guys on the road sometimes!

Warm regards
Val

 

[thomas]

No worries Stokes, I can be contacted at

Hi Val,

I took the liberty of removing your email address from your post, so that it won't be harvested by spam bots. As Philip indicated, PMs are safer.

 

[sebici]

email...

Thanks Stokes, appreciate that as didn't know that was the case.

Look forward to getting to know you!

Cheers
Val

 

[sebici]

Thanks Thomas

...thought it was Stokes who did that for me but in reviewing this thread, realised it was you.

Belated thanks to you for the kindness and look forward to rubbing elbows on the road some time soon.

Regards
Val

 

[sebici]

Stokes...

...you still alive?

You've dissapeared and am hoping all is well for you.

Cheers
Val