So there I was March 2010, slightly disenchanted at the thought of a year of no real direction, having done a shed load of base training since being removed unceremoniously from my bike back in September by an inattentive driver which had left my arm dangling weirdly from my shoulder, wondering what I was going to have a go at in the year ahead. I'd done ok in 2009 nothing earth shattering though and thought that I should really attempt to do something better. It was at that point that Colin came to the rescue with the idea that we should have some fun, break from the establishment and have some fun racing together, it was the best conversation we ever had.
Over the next few days we discussed what we'd like to achieve and effect in Scottish Cycling in the year ahead and beyond. At that point we had a chat with Tom and quickly discovered that he was of the same mind, time to sit down and discuss it properly. Colin, Tom and I hooked up at Tinderbox Cafe in the Merchant City and over a few coffees formulated the the plan to run a small race team with a modern approach who would race for each other and have fun doing it. I left that meeting on an absolute high, totally enthused (nothing to do with the caffeine intake at all!)
The speed with which things happened after that will never cease to amaze me, ideas flew around via a flurry of e-mails and everything fell into place as if someone had suddenly turned the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle up the right way so that you could finally see the picture that had been there all along. There was one however one rather important thing missing, the name.
Our embryonic team had come together so fast we thought it'd be easy, but naming it was probably our most elongated decision, seemingly endless suggestions were made some good, some not, ones that someone else somewhere had dropped onto. We were spiralling into frustation and then it finally landed in our laps I can't recall where it actually came from or who suggested it but Vortex Race Team just seemed to capture the frame of mind we were all in and that as thay say was that.
It was at that point that we suddenly realised that the season was upon us and we'd left it rather late to launch the team as we were in no real shape to compete as a unit through one reason or another, what the heck we thought we'd give it a go and see what happened with our refreshed enthusiasm. Next step sponsorship.
We wanted relative sponsors though and partners who would "get" what Vortex was all about, so we approached a few people that we thought may be interested and enjoy the concept. So with our three year plan in hand we set out to track them down. First up was Stewart at Conquest Bikewear, Tom had worked closely with Stewart previously in preparing race kit and when we ran the idea past him over a West End lunch it became immediately apparent that we had both been looking for what each other had to offer, we needed kit and Stewart had been toying with the idea of a race team to test his clothing, perfect, who says there's no such thing as fate? Mark and the Solid Rock Cycles guys offered their assistance as well and we'd have been plain stupid not to invite them on board, a vast pool of bike and racing knowledge to be tapped into. Finally and by no means least Robert offered some much needed financial assistance through Millersport Architecture (if you're wondering where the cycling connection is, just think Olympic Velodrome) and so we were all set to launch into the racing season.
It only took a few weeks to get it all together, idea to race team in about four weeks!
Next up, time to race.............
Scottish road and track cycle team formed 2010.
