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Riders go to Solvang School

By Julian J. Ramos/Staff Writer

Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team members Ivan Dominguez and Jose Manuel “Chepe” Garcia took a break Monday from preparing for the upcoming Amgen Tour of California and the rest of their 2008 season with a visit to Solvang School. The veteran riders spoke to more than 200 fourth- through sixth-graders in the school gym about their pro careers and their high-tech bicycles.

Speaking in Spanish, Garcia said his father had a cycling team in Mexico and at 15-years-old he moved from playing soccer to cycling. He is a former junior national champion and a a two-time national champion in Mexico.

A former Cuban national champion Dominguez, nicknamed the “Cuban missile” defected to the United States during the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York City. In last year’s Amgen Tour of California, he won the final stage in Long Beach.

In a question-and-answer session, students asked the riders about their training regime, their worst crashes and their most difficult races.

Dominguez said all races on their six-month schedule are hard and the upcoming Amgen Tour of California, scheduled to begin on Feb. 17, is no different.

“It’s not as easy as it looks on paper,” he said.

On Feb. 22, Solvang will host 17 teams for a 15-mile time trial. The Toyota-United team has been training in Solvang and throughout the Santa Ynez Valley for almost two weeks.

Garcia’s advice for aspiring pro riders was to be disciplined, be healthy, do the right things and listen to your parents.

Each student received a Toyota-United team cowbell and lined up in two long lines outside the gym to cheer for the cyclists as the rode through the lines slapping hands and giving high-fives.

Julian J. Ramos can be reached at 688-5522, Ext. 6008, or jramos@syvnews.com.