Racing team headed for international competition

Team Kaos captain Marco Vasquez rounds a corner at a recent training race. Photos by Mike Madcharo.

It’s not often that competitive bicyclists get the opportunity to race in their hometowns. But that’s exactly what perfusionist Marco Vasquez of The Nebraska Medical Center will do next week when he competes in the Tour of Puerto Rico.

Vasquez captains Team Kaos, one of the leading racing teams in the Midwest. UNMC, UMA and The Nebraska Medical Center sponsor the team.

Four members of Team Kaos, along with two racers from Colorado, who are on loan to the team, will compete April 7-10 in the four-stage race. One day they’ll be sprinting through the streets of San Juan. Another day they might be tackling a 10-mile mountain pass. No matter what the terrain, it’s destined to be a challenge, Vasquez said.

“It’s the tropics, so we know it’s going to be hot,” Vasquez said. “We’ve been riding indoors more than usual to get used to sweating more and losing more fluids. So that’s going to be one of the challenges.”

Team Kaos, sponsored by UNMC, UMA and The Nebraska Medical Center, is in its 13th season.

Another challenge will be to replace the estimated 4,000 calories each racer burns while spending up to four hours in the saddle each day.

“In the course of a race, we drink between four and eight 24-ounce bottles of water or electrolyte drinks, plus four to six packs of GU (a high energy gel),” Vasquez said. “After the race we’ll eat some lean proteins like fish and chicken, with lots of vegetables and pasta and rice.”

Besides Vasquez, Team Kaos will send Omahans Chris Spence and Sean Weide (team manager) to Puerto Rico, along with Lincoln’s Ian Robertson, Jarred Berger and Steve Muhle (team mechanic). Many have been putting in 15 to 20 hours of training each week since January in preparation for the event.

Facing international-level competitors, some of whom have raced against the likes of six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, Vasquez is realistic about how well the team can perform.

Team Kaos’ jerseys sport the familiar red, black and white colors of their sponsors.

“We hope to get some podium finishes or win some intermediate prizes,” he said. “We have some strong time trialists and some good climbers so we’ll have a good chance of coming away with something.”