Amore e Vita - Selle SMP Pro Cycling held their annual December training camp recently.
At face value, a modest and humble affair if compared to most World Tour and Pro Continental squads. Look closely at the riders on their indoor trainers and you may notice stacked chairs and tables nearby. Hardly state of the art or opulent. Look even closer at the indoor trainer shot and some loose planks of wood are beneath the front wheel to level the bike.
But that doesn't matter.
A scroll through the team's camp gallery reveals something far more important: smiling and happy faces.
What else does a sports team need in order to foster team spirit and be successful?
Sure - having the financial means available to be world class is important but things like will, passion and espirit de corps can only be achieved through belief in a common cause.
I was fortunate enough to attend an afternoon of Team Dimension Data's Cape Town camp in late November and while Africa's Team is now on the other end of the scale financially and in terms of world ranking, a similar zeal and togetherness was evident in the atmosphere. The team spirit was contagious as the riders mingled with the public, albeit also aboard indoor trainers but sans primitive levelling techniques and clutter.
Back to this humble "squadra" and cycling aficionados must admire the Amore e Vita's longevity. Essentially a feeder team to the sport's upper echelons, many a champion has begun their career in the "Love and Life" jersey. Rolf Sorenson and Michele Bartoli are among the legions of luminaries who have pedalled for very little financial reward but gained the experience and racing depth required to graduate up the ranks.
Amore e Vita has also been home to many an English-speaker, not to mention Southern Africans. Who remembers Zimbabwe's Tim Jones? Not many I suspect but the Harare-born rider began his long spell in the Italian pro scene under the directorship of Ivano Fanini, heading back south on occasion for the All-Africa games or winning the Giro del Capo solo.
Former British rider, writer and current Team Drapac DS,Tom Southam, recalls his time there with much fondness, stating in a 2013 interview: "The happiest days of my racing career were spent at Amore E Vita..they gave you exactly what they promised they would (even if that was virtually sweet FA) and they gave you the opportunity to perform."
Read the full transcript of Southam's interview here.
An opportunity to perform: pretty much enough for an ambitious young rider to wish for on the long and arduous road to a professional contract.
I've written about small teams before and observing the underdogs of cycling going about their business remains a passion of mine. And as Amore e Vita begin their twenty-sixth season in the peloton, I'll be looking for more intimate and interesting photo galleries with interest.
Love and Life.
