In a search for relatively warm weather to kick off his training, Ted King found his way to Westlake Village, the very location his Cannondale team hosted camp way back in January. Over the years the area has been a favorite training ground for professional team camps and riders looking for minimal traffic, ample climbing, and of course, Southern California weather. On the last day of Ted’s week-long stay I joined him for what was slated to be a five-hour day in the saddle, tackling the Santa Monica Mountains. After meeting up in Calabasas at Pedalers Fork , and indulging in a labor-intensive pour over coffee, we hit the road. Of course, in order for me to justify a five hour day in the saddle as a “work day”, Ted was gracious enough to keep me entertained with stories from the peloton, and share his hopes for what this season has in store for him.









(Photo: Bettini)





RBA: What are you doing in California?

Ted: The time is right to be getting the legs turning again. I was up just north of San Francisco hosting a camp for a week with strong emphasis on fine cuisine and tasty Californian wine. That period was the perfect segue of the off-season into the in-season with a final blast of fun before turning considerably more serious. NorCal for one week and then south here to SoCal for another week. As a New Englander, I’m now basically chasing good weather.

RBA: How specific are you with your training?

Ted: This time of year it’s really general. It’s nice to just spin the legs, blow out the gaskets, and then inevitably give it some gas on the climbs you inevitably encounter around here. Rack up some hours and a few general, relatively low intensity intervals.

RBA: It seems like 2014 is a tough year to find a job as a pro cyclist, was that a worry for you?

Ted: If there’s any truth to the rumor ten-percent of the pro peloton is out of a job. That’s a lot of solid riders with some incredible palmares who are having to retire or take a step down. It was a contract year for me, too. There are very few things that are for sure in the cycling world besides that it’ll be tough, but the Cannondale team and organization are a truly upstanding operation and they’ll reward you with a contract if you do your job. I’m happy to be back. Cannondale will always be my first road bike, my first mountain bike, and they provide a very at-home feel.









(Photo: Bettini)

RBA: What would you say your role is with the team?

Ted: My role is to help the team win-specifically, help Peter Sagan win a lot of races. That usually means a lot of time on the front. We’ll get a more fleshed out schedule during the first round of meetings next week in Italy, but if history is any indication, it will be very similar to Peter’s. I would love to win the National Championship one day, and take a stage of Tour of California. But I have good perspective on the situation; we have one of the youngest rosters in the ProTour, maybe the youngest, so I know my chief role is to help the team win races.

RBA: What races will be on your 2014 schedule?

Ted: To be decided. It’s a probable guess that it’ll be similar to years’ past. Okay, tongue-in-cheek, but as that ‘domestique to the stars’ stat shows, I was part of the fourth most race wins as anyone in the ProTour peloton. We have a good thing going.

(Photo: Bettini)

RBA: Most everyone knows the story of you crashing on Stage 1 of the Tour de France and breaking your scapula, but take us through the Stage 4 team time trial where you were time cut.

Ted: Painful. On so many levels, it was painful. It all boils down to the first kilometer which had six of the eight turns in the entire race. The legs were fine, but with the separated shoulder and fractured scapula, I couldn’t yank on the bars. A team trial looks peaceful and serene on TV, but it’s some of the most violent and aggressive parts of any bike race. I could sit on all day, but sprinting out of those corners was misery. Then insult to injury because once I got dropped it became a different race, I was just thinking about time cut immediately.

RBA: Were you surprised that the race officials didn’t offer leniency when you were only 7 seconds over the time cut, and it was clear you were affected by your injuries?

Ted: That’s a tough one. Sure, I understand their decision, but was I surprised? Yes. The social media response was incredible and something I can’t really put to words. That support from around the world was tremendous. Then the support I received from some of the biggest names in the peloton to help reinstate me, that was powerful. Although apparently not powerful enough. Just makes me that much hungrier for 2014.