Slipstream and others to visit local schools ahead of Univest GP

Team Slipstream will head to the Univest Cycling Grand Prix on Saturday, September 8, with a strong team, featuring Danny Pate and Tim Duggan, who came in second and third in the recent 32.4-kilometre US Pro Cycling time trial Championships. But the athletic aspect is not the only interest of the squad led by former racer Jonathan Vaughters. A day prior to the race, on Friday, they will visit the Oak Ridge Elementary School in Harleysville and talk about its goal of "celebrating pure athletic accomplishment."

The team, with the goal of the 2008 Tour de France in mind, is subjecting itself to one of the most aggressive anti-doping programmes in the sport of cycling. The more than 1,200 controls carried out during the season is about 20 times the number that the UCI requires. The pressure on teams has increased due to the ongoing doping scandals and CSC and T-Mobile have similar strict internal anti-doping programmes.

Other teams are also stopping by various schools to share their stories with the kids. The Italian Kio Ene team will visit the Doyle Elementary School, while Colavita, with local favourite Tyler Wren of Rosemont, Pa., is slated to speak with students at Oak Park Elementary. AEG-Toshiba team will visit the Indian Valley Middle School and the Canadian Jet Fuel Coffee team will be featured in an assembly at the Walton Farm Elementary School.