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Huff on the rise
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With a name like Charles Bradley Huff, you might expect someone with the reserve and restraint of a character in a Victorian novel, rather than a guy who likes to mix it up in the rough and tumble world of bunch sprints. But the 27-year-old TIAA-CREF rider is clearly in the latter category and is already making his presence known in his first year as a pro.
Huff – he goes by Brad – scored TIAA-CREF’s first European win of the 2006 season with a sprint victory in the Tour of Normandie in April.
“I was in yellow for three days and three days in green, I won a stage and near-stage win. I didn’t see anyone coming through and I raised my arms and I didn’t throw my bike, it was a rookie mistake,” he said. “I had two crashes in sprints, I crashed into a French ditch. I cracked two helmets. In just two or three weeks of racing in Europe, I feel like I’ve seen it all.”
It’s all part of TIAA-CREF’s baptism by fire on the European roads in 2006. A core group of the team has been racing in a variety of races all spring, mostly in French Cup races and other events where they can wrangle an invite.
“As (TIAA-CREF sport director) Johnny Weltz said, it should have been called the Battle of Normandie, it was that brutal,” Huff said. “This was my first professional race at the international level. It’s time to put your big-boy pants on. It’s a very big jump.”
After Normadie, Huff and Co. shipped off to Bordeaux for the world track cycling championships. He put in a fine effort to qualify for the finals in the men’s points race and then scored points in the Madison with teammates Mike Friedman a day after learning that they were offered a start slot by the UCI.
The highlight of the Bordeaux stay was the effort in the team pursuit, where Huff, Friedman, Danny Pate and Mike Creed finished 12th out of 14 teams in only their second major race.
The team is hoping to build itself into a contender for an Olympic medal in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, still more than two years away.
Huff and his teammates share a couple of apartments in Girona, Spain, the Euro-base for so many American pros.
Up next are more “French gutter races” on tap before returning stateside for Philly week.
“The learning curve over here is straight up,” he said. “There are no fluff races. No sitting in. The culture over here is nice, but we’re here to race our bikes. I’m very thankful to be over here, very thankful for the opportunity TIAA-CREF and Jonathan Vaughters has given me. I want to make the most of it.”
