Hype proved right for Kiwi's new team

Apr 18th, 10

Meenhorst at training camp in Mallorca Spain ©ROTH-FOTO

"The setup was much better than I ever expected! There was a lot of hype when the team first held its press conference and I wasn't sure if it would always be like that, but I think I have even been one upped by the team on that one!"

Team NetApp aims to be in the pro-tour within three years and has set itself up as if it's already a pro-tour team rather than a UCI Continental team.

"I have never had a photo shoot or press time like I have had with this team. I think in total we have had four different days of shooting in various clothes and countries and a lot of TV stations filming us whilst out training. It's been a really enjoyable experience!"

Meenhorst is also enjoying the living arrangements the team has set up for him.  He's living with three teammates in a brand new house on the French/ German part of Belgium, next to the German border.

"The team house is not too shabby!  They couldn't find a house which was suitable, so they bought a brand new house and have converted it into the ideal cyclist's pad.  Riders get their own rooms, it has a nice big backyard, a patio area for bbqs, three washing machines in the garage and Satellite TVs with the surround sound systems.  It's definitely an enjoyable place to live. To be honest I'm not so sure I want to leave this place."

As well as the great living arrangements, Meenhorst is also experiencing many other benefits of a well organised, and funded, team.

"From arriving in the hotel for the training camp in Mallorca right through until now at the team house, everything has always been organised so well and the equipment and preparation for the races seems just like that of the other pro-teams."

"From having 25mm tyres glued on just for a one day race with a couple of cobbled sections, to the masseuse's turning up to the team house during the week for massages, and all the equipment (cycling Christmas'!) we keep on getting week in, week out, it definitely makes cycling even more enjoyable! Something I have never experienced before!"

Race time

Of course with pro-tour ambitions, the team is also serious about its racing.  Last weekend Team NetApp joined 17 pro-tour teams in Brabantse Pijl, the first of the Ardennes classics.

"Today was pretty good, my job at the moment in the team is to get in breaks and protect one of my leaders at the race. Unfortunately I had a bit of a cough and runny nose going into the race and also raced at Ronde van Drenthe two 1.1's in The Nederland's just two days before the race, but on the start line and during the race I really felt pretty great," Meenhorst, an allrounder with a good climbing resume, said.

Alexander Meenhorst - Team NetApp ©ROTH-FOTO

"Three of my teammates and I were really in control with the breaks. The initial break didn't go for almost an hour which isn't so normal in the pro races, but during this time my team was present with at least one rider in every group."

"A six man group eventually went and we had a rider in there so that was really great for Netapp! Especially considering how strong the six riders turned out to be!"

RadioShack's Sébastien Rosseler won the race from that breakaway.

More pro-tour level racing

Racing with the pro-tour teams wasn't a one off for Meenhorst and Team NetApp.  

On Tuesday the Kiwi is racing in the Giro del Trentino alongside Ivan Basso (Liquigas), Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) plus Alexandre Vinocourov and Allan Davis (Astana) to name a few top riders.

Following the four stage Italian tour, Meenhorst is racing the Tour of Poland.

"After that I'm not sure exactly which races I will be starting in as we only ride in one race at a time and with fourteen riders we only take the strongest to the races so we haven't been confirmed for the upcoming races yet."

"But in the next month we are starting The Neuseen Classics, Bayern Rundfahrt and Route du Sud."

Meenhorst doesn't have any specific goal races for this part of season, he's just hoping to get some results which will help his aim of being named in the New Zealand squad for the Commonwealth Games later in the year. 

Slow start to the season

Despite having already raced seven UCI1.1 events since arriving in Europe on January 23rd, Meenhorst considers he's had a slow start to the season.

"I was being a bit of an idiot over summer and mid December I got a small cut on my shin which initially was fine but become infected with a disease called Cellulitis," he said explaining why he wasn't in great shape when he arrived in Europe.

"It turned out to be very aggressive and put me in hospital for a while. I was on two courses of Intravenous antibiotics and there was a point after the 3rd day in hospital when, if my leg continued to go downhill like it was, amputation was even brought up! But after I started the second course of antibiotics I bounced back quickly and I was out of hospital after seven days. After four weeks of bed rest I was finally able to start moving around again and get back on with my life! A very frustrating time!"

The Giro del Trentino, Italy starts with an individual time trial on April 20th and runs until April 23rd.