Thanks again to Marco Quezada, I was able to play journalist, and interview Chris Wherry, reigning USPRO champ at the launch of the new Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team. Here it is:

DS: Hey Chris, big day for you today, you finally get to say which team you re on.

CW: It’s nice. I can take all of the stickers off the logos, and get to let people see what we’re all about.

DS: You don’t have to be on your stealth bike anymore.

CW: Exactly.

DS: How come they didn’t let you wear any winter clothes out there today?

CW: Oh, man. I’m telling you, it was cold.

DS: I saw you all smiling, but maybe you were gritting your teeth and you had your teeth chattering.

CW: We were, if I had known I would’ve brought my leg warmers and arm warmers.

DS: The team concept sounds great. Do you think it takes a certain kind of rider to join this team?

@##=#<3,L>@##=#CW: There was definitely more of a selection process. Frankie, Harm, and Sean Tucker together really scrutinized who they wanted to pick up for the team. They went over not just riders’ resumes and stuff, but also wanted to talk to each guy and wanted to make sure they were going to fit into their program. They wanted to get a personality read from each guy to see that he was going to represent the team and this company in a different way because this is definitely a different organization than cycling’s ever seen.

DS: Yeah, it seems like you guys have a little more input or maybe even power as far as selection of equipment, and it sounds like you guys are doing a lot of design on the bikes. Is that true?

CW: Yeah, actually that was probably one of the coolest things that all of us riders got to experience was the fact that Sean, Frankie, and Harm did take a lot of our opinions as far as: what kind of tires do we want to race on; what do we feel are the best? It just goes to show how this team is thinking a little differently, because most of the time on traditional teams you show up to training camp and you grab your bike and your clothes and what you got is what you got. So, this team is really cool, they took a lot of our input. Harm’s a very, very, I guess – analytical person – he loves to measure to the millimeter. He really went over to each guy individually and said, “How do you want this bike to ride? How do the dimensions? What do you want the bottom bracket height to be? It was really, really cool to be a part of that. To be able to give your input on certain things like that.

DS: Do you geek out on specifics like directional torsion and torque and other things that make me just look at things like a dog looks at a radio? I get confused easily, but is that your thing?

@##=#<2,r>@##=#CW: Personally, no. I like to focus on getting the best form possible. When I have my best form, I don’t really get too specific with measurements and weight and stuff like that. But I know for a fact that these guys put together an incredible bike with this United Bicycle, I’ve been on it for three weeks now, and it’s definitely one of the best bikes I’ve ever ridden.

DS: Who’s the biggest bike geek on the team?

CW: (laughs) Other than Harm? Chris Baldwin is pretty specific about how the bike actually fits him. He definitely looks at weight and stuff like that a little bit more than most guys. But then all of the sprinters on the team are super specific about the tires they want to ride or the handlebars that they feel most comfortable sprinting with, and that’s what’s been really cool with Frankie, Harm, and Sean – they been able to help find the best equipment for us.

DS: That’s interesting. I’ve always had a question about sprinters specifically as afar as why internationally we don’t have any American sprinters along the lines of a Petacchi or someone like that. I always wondered if it’s just that maybe the quick twitch guys can get a better deal in track and field or they can play football.

CW: Yeah, I’m not 100% sure about that. There’s no doubt there are some quick American sprinters out there, but, you know, not to the level of Petacchi.

DS: Yeah, it’s strange, because I think that the US could be competitive in that way, because it would be great. So, what’s the plan for the team, will it be mostly domestic races or do you see any international events coming up?

CW: We are a domestic based team; we are going to focus on the NRC calendar and big races, the Tour of California, the Tour of Georgia, USPRO championships, hopefully the races out in Philadelphia. There’s a possibility of the team racing overseas to prepare better for races domestically, but the scene is so incredibly healthy here now with races like the Tour of Georgia and the Tour of California bringing on 6 or 7 European Pro Tour teams. Why go over there when we have the best racing in the world right here in our back yard?

DS: What’s your feeling about the new USPRO course?

CW: You know what? I haven’t seen anything about the new course, all I know is that it’s in Greenville and I haven’t seen a course description at all. Have you seen it? Have they released it?

DS: I know little or nothing about it, I do know that it’s changed and that’s about all I could tell you.

CW: I would have to say that it’s a little sad that the race is not still in Philadelphia. It was a great venue, awesome fan support, big money on the line, and it made for a really super exciting race. I really am looking forward to an all American pro championship and I think Greenville’s going to do a good job of keeping it together so that we have some of the good fans out there and all of that kind of stuff. So I’m looking forward to it. I think that they’re probably going to choose a little bit more demanding course than the race in Philly. Philly is a hard race, it’s long, but, as you know, this past year was the first year it finished in a small group. It’s been field sprints for 3 or 4 years before that, so I think something that’s a little more selective – not only is it going to be good for the championship – but it actually suits me (laughs). So I’m pretty excited about it.

DS: That’s what I was going to say. It’ll probably help your chances for a repeat, or a try at it.

CW: Yeah, exactly.

DS: Since your colors are red, white and blue, how will the national champ’s jersey look different then the ones you’ve got?

@##=#<1,L>@##=#CW: Yeah, you know we have a pretty patriotic jersey – that was the vision of Sean Tucker – he wanted this to be America’s team, and he wants America to get on board with us. So, my jersey is a different color blue and a lot more stars in it and it does stand out from the other riders and actually I like it a lot. I think it look really good.

DS: Maybe you could incorporate a cape or something nice – a superman type feel?

CW: (laughs) Yeah, exactly. I also have a different bike than the rest of the team. It definitely stands out a little bit and they’ve been really cool it. They’re super excited about having a pro champion on the team and, obviously, I’m pretty happy to represent.