April 15, 2008 – Pedal’s Sandra Walter was invited to the Vanderkitten Pro Women’s Team training camp in San Francisco, February 11-18 by Director Sportif, Scott Gross. The camp was the first time that the whole team would be together for team rides, team building activities, strategy sessions leading up to their first race on February 18, where Canada’s Jenny Trew from B.C. finished 9th with Canadian teammates Leah Guloien, also from B.C., in 13th and Moriah MacGregor in 49th. They are the three “token” Canadians on the U.S.-based team. Vanderkittens Jane Despas, Leigh Valetti, Melissa Sanborn, Liz Hatch, Heather Sborz placed 18th, 22nd, 23rd, 30th, and 47th, respectively. Here’s Sandra’s report…

The pack of women that are the Vanderkitten Cycling Team acted like they’d known each other for years, after training and living together only a few days, during the squad’s debut camp near San Francisco from Feb. 11-18. Throughout the week’s rides, they meshed well, playfully jostling on their new BH rigs during casual training, but ducking down and focusing when it came to lead-out and strategy exercises. Off the bikes, they gave off an air of solidarity and cheerfulness, cracking jokes (have you heard the one about three Canadians on a fence?) and sharing experiences. Being a new lineup comprised of many young riders with little team experience, this project was extra challenging. Claws did emerge and fur did fly on occasion, but things righted themselves quickly.

The Vanderkittens are, after all, made up of some strong personalities. Director Sportif, Gross, who has previous team management experience, knew what he was getting into, and was pleased when the “meshing” happened so quickly. “The ultimate goal of this camp is for the girls to get to know each other,” said Gross, adding that the training part of it was secondary. Gross used a hands-off approach, hoping the riders would create their own dynamic and not need to rely on him for too much guidance, because “during races, I can’t be out on the road with you. You need to figure things out for yourselves,” he counseled. The kittens need to get things dialed, as they aim to duke it out with the best North American teams at events like NRC races, high-profile stage races, as well as the eastern criteriums. In addition, they hope to earn a berth for the Montreal Women’s Road World Cup and Tour du Grand Montreal.

The team’s poster-cat, Hatch, 27, has been with the team from day one. Essentially, she is the reason the team exists. After trying her hand at bike racing, she fell in love with it – seriously in love (this girl knows every ProTour rider’s stats, has hung out with Tom Boonen, plus knows the industry inside out). Once the relatively green Hatch realized she wanted to go big with cycling, she sought support for the 2007 season, and that’s when she found Vanderkitten.

The Berkeley, CA based company is a small operation that produces funky activewear “for women who kick ass.” The progressive-thinking founders/owners, husband and wife team Dave and Jennie Verreccia, and Mark Zefeldt, are basically super keen to support women’s sports. “Vanderkitten’s mission since its inception is to create a long-term relationship with cycling and raise the bar of sponsorships for women athletes,” said Dave Verraccia.

The petite brunette, Hatch, is an ideal spokesperson for the company. She’s friendly, approachable, enthusiastic and gorgeous. On top of her wide eyes, high cheekbones and athletic, yet curvy physique, she also has the qualities required of a leader and a fierce competitor. She has poured countless hours into the Vanderkitten Racing project, and will defend it tooth and claw. Hatch is an all-round rider who can do it all: climb, sprint, time trial.

Trew, 26, openly declares herself “the loud one” of the team, a role she is more than comfortable with. Trew, a natural leader, is not afraid of treading on anyone’s paws, if it means getting things done. This kitten is no pushover. She’s a strong sprinter, criterium, and track rider, and despite what she may say, she can hold her own on a climb. The experienced Trew (she has been racing since her teens) was the speedy star sprinter on the B.C.-based Giant Women’s Team in 2007 and rode for the American team Kenda in 2006. She has an uncanny race sense that allows her to spring into the tiniest gaps and be in the right place at the right time for her final, deadly pounce.

Guloien, 26, also raced for the Giant Women’s Team in 2007, where she found success, winning the Tour de Delta road race and omnium against some serious competition. As much as she hates being told so, the blond and attractive Guloien is also poster girl material. She looks beautiful and mild-tempered on the outside, but deep down, she is über-competitive, driven, and a deadly tiger when she wants somethingS and she wants to win.

MacGregor, 33, has been racing in B.C. for years, always showing potential and an incredibly strong sense of determination. Her biggest breakthrough came last year, when she placed third at the Canadian Road National Championships in Quebec. This she-cat is not afraid to attack off the front and ride solo until she either explodes or wins. MacGregor is the perfect ally – she’s more than willing to suffer and ride herself into the ground for the good of the team.

Sborz, 24, is the “A” team’s youngest kitten, but she is definitely not the smallest in either stature or personality. This peanut butter addict is tall, lean and expressive, colouring her speech with outbursts of “hell yeah!” and “shaweet!” After completing her degree in Business and Political Science at Arizona State, she’s training and racing full-time. She’s a well-rounded racer – someone to watch for in any event.

Flavia Oliveira, 26, is tiny and her gigantic smile makes the rest of her look even smaller. This blond dynamo is the perfect climber; she bounds up mountainsides and bounces into rooms, carrying with her an aura of energy that outweighs her teeny figure tenfold.

Valletti, 31, a city planner in Atlanta, GA, is big on teamwork, citing that she sees her role being largely that of a worker. Valletti brings lots of racing prowess to her new squad, and aims to prowl the roads in support of her sister cats.

Sanborn, 36, with her short, unruly brown hair, gives off the air of the quiet observer on first meeting, but this doesn’t last long. On and off the bike, she carefully chooses her moments. On training rides, she is always the first to spy city limit signs and launch a devastating sprint. In social settings, she’ll suddenly burst out with a head-turning comment, exclamation or song fragment. This sneak-attacker has eight years of racing experience and some pretty impressive results, including second place in Stage 5 of Le Tour du Grand Montreal in 2005.

Despas, 42, is originally from Australia, but now resides in the U.S. She has heaps of racing history, including a ton of podiums. She can do it all: TT’s , crits and road races. Her powerhouse legs and volumes of racing knowledge will help lead her ferocious cat gang to success.

The nine-rider “A” line-up is supported by a number of regional riders from across the U.S., so the team base in Walnut Grove, CA, with riders coming and going, and staff making sure the kittens were happy, fed and cozy, was quite the menagerie. The ladies were welcoming, however, emanating a “more the merrier” quality. Although cats are known for being solitary and independent, this group of felines breaks the mold. Careful, these kittens hunt in a pack.