Crew or no Crew Support Pro’s and Con’s (1of 2) As many may have noticed…
Crew or no Crew Support Pro’s and Con’s (1of 2) As many may have noticed I have been riding with zero crew support all 2025 race season. All training and racing no more support mainly started as cost savings. I had the luxury and paid for crew support most races in 2023 and 2024 on the ultra-distance racing. Before Texas Longhorn500 race in 2023 I had no idea how to ride or race with a support crew. Once I noticed it, I was impressed since a support crew is improving average speed on a race or for a ride a lot. Benefits having a crew are very simple. You automatically get drinking supply and nutrition handed without stopping and trying to find the stuff yourself. Because no stop required it safes the power to accelerate and it’s saving the time of the stops. And reality is as racers we need to refill our drinking bottles on regular basis, and we need a minimum level of carbs. Crazy as it is ... with crew support it is possible to get nutrition ongoing and no lack of nutrition during complete ride or race. It’s truly comfortable to get a refill every 30-45 minutes. Specifically in hot temperatures that’s amazing since drinking consumption is very high. During daylight mostly the crew is leapfrogging around the racer. So, they can communicate with you and see what is needed in addition of the agreed supply. Also, they see how the cyclist is riding and can help directly either allowing for a rest stop or provide specific nutrition. Critical at night or with foggy sections the crew drives behind a cyclist. That increases safety because they protect the cyclist from traffic and they help with better lights. From the car headlights. In addition to food, drinking supply and protection the crew also has the option to either swap bicycles which is helpful when landscape changes drastically (from flat to steep climbing …). They also can charge and swap head or taillights as well as any external batteries. The level of comfort using crew support is amazing. To me the option having crew support is great and would be my preferred option. However, the downside of crew support is the cost. And without any financial support it will turn out very costly. Cost means all travel expenses such as flight, accommodation and food plus proper car for the crew. That cost must be paid by the cyclist or any support organization helping the cyclists financially.
