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Thursday, November 13, 2008 Team CSC Saxo Bank ready for boot camp by VeloNation Press at 8:55 PM EST   comments Categories: Pro Cycling   The 2008 season has only just ended but already it's almost time for the next. A season, which begins with a name change from Team CSC Saxo Bank to Team Saxo Bank - IT Factory. True to habit one of the first activities of the new season is a team training camp for the entire organization arranged by team trainer BS Christiansen. After having traveled to South Africa and Norway for this training camp last year and the year before this year everyone will be traveling to Denmark, where the first ground stone will be laid for a successful 2009 season. "We're a Danish team and both our two new main sponsors are Danish. We're embarking on a whole new chapter with a new name and brand new sponsors so we thought it was the right thing for us to begin this chapter in Denmark, where it all started a long time ago," explains BS Christian. "November in Denmark should mean a really tough and demanding camp, which will get us where we want to be ahead of the 2009 season," continues the experienced team trainer. As always it's a secret for everyone involved exactly what is going to happen so of course BS Christiansen is not willing to reveal any details but only give a general idea: "The program this year contains several elements. First of all we need to get to know one another properly because there's a lot of new faces. Then there are a couple of things from 2008, which we need to improve on. We need to carry on improving the way we work together and also the way we communicate. We've grown into a large organization with a lot of different activities and that sometimes makes communicate a challenge, which is something we need to address," says BS Christiansen. It's important to the former ranger that the entire organization works well together because often problems can be solved across different departments and sections of the organization in the course of a season, so a lot can be gained from addressing this particular issue during the training camp. "We're all a part of this – from our gold medal winners to the administrative staff – making sure everything is working as it should. There are various assignments in smaller teams as well as tasks, which requires the entire organization to work together. We need to address our values and Bjarne Riis' philosophy so we can determine our goals and how to achieve them," continues BS Christiansen and reveals that this year there will be a small change because the riders and sports directors will begin the physical training a day earlier than the rest of the organization: "The sports directors and riders have a slightly different program before they are joined by the rest of the organization. We've always got specific issues in mind and we've decided that this year we have some tasks, which we want solved in a specific way and it's a good idea for the riders and the sports directors to be subjected to some physical tests before everyone else gets there," concludes Christiansen. The whole camp stretches over 10 days and the actual survival part normally lasts from three to five days. Another main purpose with the camp is for Saxo Bank and IT Factory in cooperation with the team to make a team presentation for their staff as well as the press.       comments Follow @Pro_Cycling Tweet Subscribe via RSS or daily email Contact the editor about this article