Nat Thompson Selected to Train with Johan Bruyneel’s Cycling Center
ABRT’s Nathaniel Thompson, 24, has been selected to train with Johan Bruyneel’s Cycling Center, a Belgium-based international cycling development program that provides elite athletes training, racing, nutrition, tactics and education on all aspects of racing in Europe.
Thompson is among 11 cyclists chosen to attend the academy. Five riders are from the U.S., four are from Australia, one is from Canada, and one is South African. Each of the riders will have exposure to talent scouts from European professional cycling teams. Thompson will begin his three month stint at the academy on March 1.
“A lot of guys get invited to ride for a domestic U.S. pro team, but if you have the chance to race in Europe, you have to take it,” said Thompson, a Category 1 rider who currently races for the Annapolis Bicycle Racing Team (ABRT), and previously for Rocky Mountain Bicycles in Boulder, CO. “The Cycling Center is a boot camp for cyclists. But it’s not about getting race results, it is about growing as a rider and as a team member.”
In 2009, Thompson had a break-out year. Early in the season, USA Cycling advanced him from Category 2 to the elite Category 1, where he achieved top 10 results at 10 of the cycling events he participated in. He won the Renfrew Road Race, won the Tour of Lancaster County (more here), and he won the Green Jersey competition at the Fitchburg Classic stage race in Massachusetts. (More details here).
At the Cycling Center Thompson will be training and racing in events throughout Belgium between 120 km to 180 km in length. To prepare for the cycling academy, he has increased his endurance and distance of training rides to 20-26 hours per week. When the conditions outside were hazardous with snow and black ice this winter, he trained indoors using a Compu Trainer, which simulates riding outdoors.
Last year Thompson earned his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Washington College in Chestertown, MD, after taking a year off from his studies to train and race in Colorado. He says he is more than ready to begin this new venture and live with other riders who share his dream. “The Cycling Center has lots of rules, and it’s very structured. Over there, cycling is your job. But if you really dream big and want to fulfill the dream, then this is the kind of opportunity you grab,” he said.
Cycling Center founder Johan Bruyneel is the Team Director of American Pro Tour team,Team Radioshack, which includes Lance Armstrong. Bruyneel has led teams to 13 Grand Tour wins and was the team leader for all of Armstrong’s Tour de France wins. Bruyneel was also a professional cyclist, retiring in 1998.
The Annapolis Bicycle Racing Team is one of the top-ranked amateur cycling teams in the United States. USA Cycling selected ABRT as their "Club of the Year" in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2003. ABRT has also won the Mid-Atlantic Bicycle Racing Association Best All Around Team 11 years in a row, 12 years total. They have over 100 regular members ranging in age from 14 to 65 years old with abilities ranging from novice to elite level.
